Sometimes dreams do come true.
When 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife proved successful, with its (mostly) new cast of younger characters, those of us who’ve adored this franchise since 1984 thought, Boy, wouldn’t it be nice if the new gang and the entire old gang got together in the next entry?
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| The inquisitive Ghostbusters — from left, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), Podcast (Logan Kim) and Ray (Dan Aykroyd) — are horrified by what Hubert Wartzki (Patton Oswalt) reveals about the mysterious brass orb in their possession. |
But the planetary threat comes later. As was the case with Afterlife, director Gil Kenan and co-scripter Jason Reitman take their time with smaller matters that allow solid character development. The focus this time is on Phoebe Spengler (Mckenna Grace), who — following her family’s destructive Eccto-1 chase through New York City streets, in pursuit of a shimmering Sewer Dragon ghost — gets benched by the infuriated Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton), because, well, at 15 she’s a minor.
It gets worse. The contemptuous Peck — Atherton, at his snarling best — warns Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon), Trevor Spengler (Finn Wolfhard) and Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) that he’s waiting for just one more excuse to shut down the Ghostbusters.
He also wants to raze their beloved firehouse headquarters.
(You’d think the former team’s past accomplishments would have counted for something. But People In Authority never learn.)
Elsewhere, Podcast (Logan Kim) continues to help Ray Stantz (Aykroyd) become a YouTube influencer, with his weekly online explorations of everyday household objects that either are haunted ... or merely old. Ray is surprised, one day, when an opportunistic slacker, Nadeem Razmaadi (Kumail Nanjiani), turns up hoping to trade a box of his grandmother’s old possessions for fast cash. The contents include a mysterious, softball-size brass orb covered with ancient glyphs.
Still elsewhere, at the Paranormal Research Center run by Winston Zeddemore (Hudson), he and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) — assisted by brainy newcomer Lars Pinfield (James Acaster) — have perfected next-gen equipment to extract and contain ectoplasmic essence.
As for Peter Venkman (Murray) ... well, rumor has it that if you want to get in touch with him, you leave a message on an answering machine somewhere (which, believe it or not, is the only way people can try to get Murray to accept a role, in the real world).
As the core plot involving the brass orb and what might be inside slowly builds, Phoebe takes center stage. Grace gets considerable screen time, and is persuasive as a frustrated, vulnerable and lonely young woman who has been shunted aside, her unhappy gaze speaking volumes behind Phoebe’s owlish glasses. And, as often is the case with teenagers, Phoebe’s book-smarts don’t prevent occasional reckless behavior.
Left on her own one evening, she sets up chess pieces on a Central Park table, preparing to play against herself ... and is surprised when the opposing pieces move themselves. After a moment, their handler is revealed to be the ghost of Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), a teenager who died in a Washington Square fire, decades earlier. She has long played pranks on fearful park mortals, but is taken aback when Phoebe remains unfazed.
A wary friendship sparks, as both girls acknowledge each other’s outsider status. Melody, with ghostly flames licking about her, hasn’t been able to “move on,” and doesn’t know why.
Almost everybody in this large ensemble gets choice moments. Aykroyd’s Ray is erudite to a fault; Murray’s Peter remains impulsively wacky and prone to straight-faced one-liners. Hudson’s Winston is the sole former Ghostbuster who knows how to operate in the real world.
Wolfhard’s Trevor, insisting that he’s an adult — at 18 — finds adult responsibilities more daunting than expected. Coon’s Callie is spot-on as a protective mother bear, while Rudd’s Gary attempts to navigate his new position in this unusual family, as a surrogate father figure. Rudd puts heart and soul into one heartfelt speech outside Phoebe’s closed bedroom door.
Nanjiani is a hoot as the opportunistic Nadeem, wholly overwhelmed by the insanity of life among Ghostbusters. The always enjoyable Patton Oswalt pops up as Hubert Wartzki, an expert in ancient languages with a strong suspicion of what that brass orb contains (a narrative told via cleverly animated stone hieroglyphs).
Longtime fans will be delighted by encounters with Slimer, the New York Public Library ghost, and the bevy of Mini-Pufts that have infested Ray’s occult bookshop.
But the Really Big Bad, when finally revealed — Garraka, possessing the power to freeze individuals and entire cities in fear — is on a scale more suited to a Marvel superhero movie. (It also seems unlikely that the nasty ice spikes that erupt everywhere don’t impale all manner of hapless citizens, but we must overlook that.)
As was the case with Afterlife, Reitman and Kenan faithfully replicate the 1984 film’s atmosphere and balance: the familiar snarky humor and throwaway one-liners, along with some fun gotcha moments. Composer Dario Marianelli frequently quotes familiar themes from Elmer Bernstein’s 1984 score, and this film closes with an equally welcome musical moment during the end credits.
A final nice touch: an acknowledgment of the late Ivan Reitman, who directed the 1984 film. (Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler and also no longer is with us, is equally missed.) And do linger during those credits; you’ll be rewarded with a droll cut-scene.
When the results continue to be this entertaining, I hope the franchise continues for years to come.
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