We have been a member of Cineworld’s unlimited cinema scheme for just over a month now which entitles us to unlimited free cinema tickets for the low, low price of just £10 a month! Usually, the tickets for a screening in Cineworld is £6 a pop so it usually only takes two trips are month to theoretically get your money back. However, when we visited the cinema near Halloween to watch the extremely camp cult classic film “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (with the review of the event available at https://rhysreviews.com/2021/10/29/rocky-horror-cinema-screening-review/) as a perk of the scheme we were able to save £9 on the ticket which saved us almost the same amount we pay for the subscription! As another perk of the scheme, every person who joins the programme using my unique referral code RAF-41UF-82LQ-14EX-70BM we are both gifted a free month of unlimited cinema! As a special Christmas treat for this visit to see the new Ghostbusters film I was treated to free popcorn and drink combo which again was very close to the value I pay every month in itself. I know every film review starts with my promoting all of the advantages of becoming a member of the cinema unlimited programme but I don’t see why more people aren’t getting involved! However, if Cineworld is looking for influencers or a potential blog to partner with then you know where to find me!
The narrative of this movie revolves around the idea that after the death of one of the original ghostbusters his family inherit his home in the which is located in the middle of nowhere and have to adapt from big city living to small-town life. While settling in the family discover that Egon was cast out by everyone as he appeared crazy but was simply protecting the world from the ghostly apocalypse. As the family discover more and more about their relatives’ ghost hunting they get literally pulled into Egon’s investigations and become the centre of yet another ghost invasion! As the stories involved the character learning more and more this did mean that the start of the film did move fairly slowly with the majority of action occurring towards the end of the film. The story explores the classic family structure of a stressed-out single mother called Dana Barrett (played wonderfully by the insanely talented Sigourney Weaver) who was not the biggest fan of her father after he left her many years ago but inherited the house regardless. Dana has two children who are almost the complete opposite of one another. Trevor (played by Stranger Thing’s Finn Wolfhard) who is the older brother who is obsessed with seeming cool and starts a summer job as a means of getting closer to a love interest. Fin did a great Jon of portraying this classic teenage character who realises towards the end that his geeky sister was the saviour the town needed. The science obsessed young phoebe (played by Mckenna Grace) realised throughout the film that she is more like her grandfather Egon than she initially expected. McKenna is clearly a very talented actor who was able to capture both the more nerdy moments of this character with the emotionally powerful scene. In one particular scene, we see Phoebe in an intense argument with her mother which was not only relatable and believable but also very relatable as we have all been in similar situations throughout our lives. While the performance of everyone one of these casts was excellent I do think that the characters themselves were almost stock characters who played into classic movie stereotypes. This movie also starred Paul Rudd who plays a teacher in a local summer school who gets involved in a romance storyline with the mother of the recently relocated family who also supports Phoebe in her pursuit of ghost hunting. His character Mr Grooberson plus an almost fatherly figure who informs the younger generation about the original ghost busting stories as a wise observer. However, the highlight in this movie would have to be hilarious Logan Kim who played the character simply referred to as Podcast. This character spends the majority of the film filming and recording for his new podcast (which to be honest is something I would actually watch in real life!) He also delivered many hilarious quips during the more tense moments on the story. His constant high energy and overly-friendly demeanour beautifully contrast the intense story and emotional undertones.
The most important thing to remember about the new “Ghostbuster: After Life” movie is the fact that it is intended as a tribute to Harold Ramis who played Egon Spengler in the original Ghostbusters films. Harold sadly lost his life at age of sixty-nine almost seven years ago and this film contains many moments that pay homage to him and this character. There are many moments in the latest movie which reference back to the original series including the original advert they created, the inclusion of the stay puft marshmallow man and the refurbishment of the iconic ghostbusters vehicle. However, the most powerful homage to Harold occurred at the end of the film where Egon appears as a spirit to help the other returning original ghostbusters. Seeing all four of the team together would have been incredibly nostalgic for fans of the original films but also wonderfully powerful for any audience as they consider the emotion behind what was being done on the screen. This was a perfect way to end the legacy of Harold while being done is a very logical way that also added a lot of emotion to the closing moments.
Overall, this is a film that serves as almost homage to not only Harold Ramis but also the ghostbusters franchise itself. Despite being a successful franchise, I do think this is a logical end to the ghostbusters film series as they have already lost one member of the original team which is heavily embedded into the story of the film itself. As always the special effect in this film are stellar and the emotional moments really tugged on the heartstrings. I would rate this movie 4 out of 5 stars!
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