After being delayed for over a year, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is finally in theaters, bringing new life to a decades-old franchise. The new movie introduces a young cast of Ghostbusters, sees some returning favorites, and gives a hint at what’s been going on with the spirit world since the end of Ghostbusters II.
In his review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, GameSpot’s Chris E. Hayner said the movie “The Force Awakens level of homaging to the first Ghostbusters film,” but that it strikes “a balance between action, family-friendly levels of horror, and a comedic tone that doesn’t overpower the story. There are some decent scares in the movie, but nothing that should be too overwhelming for younger audiences. And while the other Ghostbusters films are undoubtedly in the comedy/horror genre, Afterlife is a sort of adventure movie more akin to The Goonies than anything else.”
Warning: The following contains spoilers about Ghostbusters: Afterlife. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading now.
Let’s talk about the ending.
Ultimately, there’s quite a bit of fan service in the film. While the thrust of the story is this group of kids coming up against Gozer, the villain from the original film, that’s not the only way the two movies are connected. In fact, Afterlife ends with something of a passing of the torch as the three surviving original Ghostbusters–Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd), and Winston Zedmore (Ernie Hudson)–show up in uniform, armed with proton packs, to help the kids defeat Gozer once and for all. Seeing Phoebe (McKenna Grace) standing side-by-side with the original Ghostbusters, blasting away at the foe, is an exciting site–especially when you consider how massive a fan of the movies Grace is.
There’s another interesting “cameo,” though. In addition to the surviving Ghostbusters, Egon Spengler appears in ghost-form. The character, originally played by the late Harold Ramis, is Phoebe’s grandfather and his ghostly presence is felt throughout the movie. In the end, though, he’s recreated using visual effects to actually help his granddaughter control the proton pack. It also gives the other OG Ghostbusters the opportunity to give him a proper farewell.
The inclusion of Egon’s ghost is going to be a divisive move, for sure. After all, the digitally de-aged Leia in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Luke Skywalker in Season 2 of The Mandalorian weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms. But it’s the climax of the film, so it cannot be ignored
What about post-credits scenes?
There are, in fact, two post-credits scenes in Afterlife–both of them focused on the cast of the original films. In the first, we see Venkman’s life at home–with Dana (Sigourney Weaver). Yes, after all this time Peter and Dana are together and seemingly living blissful lives.
If you’re wondering what that means for Oscar, Dana’s son introduced in Ghostbusters II, you’re not alone. After seeing the film, it was a question at the front of their minds and one we asked co-writer Gil Kenan about. Sadly, he and co-writer and director Jason Reitman haven’t figured out what became of Oscar. While there may have been some very light discussion of the character early in the creative process, his whereabouts were never intended to be brought up in this scene.
The second scene points to the future. We see Janine (Annie Potts) talking to Winston about his success in the business world, though he admits he’ll always be a Ghostbuster first and foremost. We then see him back in the old firehouse, with the Ecto-1 being brought in. Then, we see the containment unit housing the captured spirits as its red light turns on.
Clearly, this is setting up future Ghostbusters adventures. Based on this scene, it seems logical to think they’ll happen back in New York City. What would that mean for our new heroes, though? After all, they’re still children and definitely have to go back to school the next day. There’s gotta be some room to continue their training as Ghostbusters, though, right?
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