Just like every other popular ’80s franchise in existence, Ghostbusters is finally getting a reboot. Actually, it’s the second reboot for those keeping track. While Ivan Reitman directed the original two films, the new movie sees his son Jason Reitman taking over the helm of the franchise to make sure it’s in good hands. With the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife finally hitting the web last week, here are seven burning questions we have about the movie.
Cover Photo: Sony Pictures
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife Questions
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When did Egon have kids, exactly?
Perhaps one of the biggest questions that the first Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer raises is when Egon apparently became a ladies man. Look, we all know that the presence of Harold Ramis (R.I.P.) will be sorely missed in the latest installment. However, the trailer seems to suggest that at least one of the members of the new team will be the descendants of Mr. Spengler himself. While it’s admirable for the new film to incorporate Egon into the plot of the film, he’s also the last guy you’d expect to have a family life, let alone children.
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Why isn’t this trailer funny?
The Trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer is oddly serious. It’s almost like a coming-of-age character drama that happens to feature science fiction/fantasy elements in a rural setting. Ring any bells? Regardless of the coattails it seems to be riding on, the only apparent “joke” in the trailer is delivered by Finn Wolfhard’s character and it completely falls flat.
Photo: Sony Pictures
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Does this movie finally explain Paul Rudd’s agelessness?
We’re introduced to Paul Rudd’s seismologist character early in the trailer. While Rudd seems to be playing some sort of seismologist/teacher, the trailer all but confirms that he will have some sort of run-in with the almighty Gozer. There’s a good possibility that the Sumerian god might inhabit Rudd’s character. If so, will Rudd’s age-defying, charming good looks finally be explained? With a character name like Mr. Grooberson, it seems this might be a good possibility.
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Why is the tone all wrong?
For some reason, Jason Reitman seems to dislike the tone of his father’s movie. At least that’s the vibe of the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Even though it’s the long-awaited legacy sequel to one of the greatest fantasy comedy movies of the '80s, this trailer signals an odd tonal shift for the franchise. From the looks of things, this movie seems to be a serious family drama about some unfinished Ghostbusting business. It’s clearly a nostalgia play in the most apparent of ways.
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Why is it so insistent on erasing the 2016 film?
Hey! Remember when ghosts attacked Manhattan and a giant marshmallow man walked the streets? You do? Good, let’s remind you. What about that time a few years back when ghosts also attacked Times Square? No? Let’s not remind you of that because it doesn’t count. In all seriousness, the trailer directly hints at the events of the first two films, while somehow ignoring the 2016 reboot. Much like the people of New York, this film seems to have selective memory about which crazy events they actually remember. Can’t they just both exist in the same universe?
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Seriously though, where is the comedy?
Weren’t these movies supposed to be comedies first and foremost? How does the sequel to one of the best comedies of the '80s forget that it’s actually a comedy? It’s about four geeky schlubs who happen to mingle with some supernatural forces. Without this aspect, the film has the possibility of becoming farcical very quickly. While the reverent tone of the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife is certainly problematic, the lack of comedy so far is readily apparent.
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Is this secretly a 'Stranger Things' reboot?
It sure seems like it. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is secretly titled Stranger Things: The Movie. Aside from being a great example of a snake eating its own tail, it seems that perhaps Jason Reitman convinced his father to let him direct the movie simply so that he could stomp out everything that made the originals so memorable. More than anything, the originals (and even to a certain extent the 2016 reboot) were distinctly New York movies, to the point that they were a distinctive character in the franchise itself. The trailer may not be indicative of tone behind Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but time will tell if Reitman made a mistake with this movie. For now, however, it seems that something is off with the new reboot.
