Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Sony
Release Date: February 1, 2022
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4.5/5
 
Plot
From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather, an original Ghostbuster, left behind. The film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman.
 
My Thoughts
After watching Ghostbusters: Answer the Call a couple of years ago, I really wasn’t looking forward to another film in the franchise. While it wasn’t horrible, it paled in comparison to the original Ghostbusters and was a bit too woke for my tastes. Frankly, I’m going to proceed as if that film was never made.
 
For years there was talk about a third film tied to the original two but for whatever reasons it never got off the ground. So here we are 35 or so years later and we get a film that’s arguably as good as the original—yes, it’s that good. While the film draws on many of the themes and characters from the original, it’s also able to place its own stake in the ground and stands on its own two feet. It starts with the cast, which is excellent. Mckenna Grace is simply wonderful to watch on screen and I’ve enjoyed her work in multiple films and her reoccurring character on Young Sheldon. My daughter got to meet her a couple of years ago at a press event for Captain Marvell and said she’s just a sweet kid and is very intelligent—it shows in her work.
 
Finn Wolfhard plays her brother and provides a lot of comic relief in the film as he struggles to fit in as the new kid in town. Carrie Coon plays the mom and Paul Rudd shows up as a local science teacher who embraces the lore from the original New York Ghostbusters from his youth. All in all, the casting choices are perfect and they all bring the phenomenal story to life. While the film won’t win an Oscar for Best Picture, it’s extremely entertaining in its own right and in regard to Ghostbusters film equals the original in virtually every way.
 
Although I would have preferred to review the 4K UHD of the title, Sony only sent me the Blu-ray, which is better than nothing. Regardless, the A/V is excellent—especially the audio which has too many demo-worthy scenes to list. Let’s just say that your subwoofer will get one hell of a workout during the two hour film.
      
Video 4.5/5 (AVC)
 
 Audio 5/5 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
Special Features:

• Summoning the Spirit: Making Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• The Gearhead’s Guide to Ghostbusters Gadgets
• Special Effects: The Ghosts of Afterlife
• Bringin Ecto-1 Back to Life
• We Got One! Easter Effs Revealed
• Ghostbusters: A Look Back
• A Look Ahead
• Deleted Scenes
• Previews
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 
 
Conclusion
I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. It’s a blast and definitely has replay value. My only regret is not seeing it in 4K, but the Blu-ray presentation is no slouch and while it has a standard DTS-MA 5.1 track versus the Atmos on the UHD, I’m not sure how much better the Atmos could be versus this stellar bass intensive track. Throw in a wildly entertaining movie and phenomenal casting and you have a sure-fire winner. Definitely add this to your collection.
 
Reference Review System:
JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
SVS SB-3000 Subwoofer
JL Audio Dominion F110 Subwoofer x 2
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[bmoney]

Thanks for the review. One of the few very food reboots. Loved it

[Paul Heroy]

My copy is arriving tomorrow. Can't wait to see it this weekend. More time with no football! 

[David Vaughn]

My copy is arriving tomorrow. Can't wait to see it this weekend. More time with no football!

Let me know what you think of it.

[David Vaughn]

Thanks for the review. One of the few very food reboots. Loved it

I wouldn't call this one a reboot, per se, more of a continuation of the original story 30+ years in the future. Regardless, I loved it as well. 

[Barry]

David, I trust your reviews. I just ordered it from Amazon. I guess I’ll get it in a couple of days.

[David Vaughn]

David, I trust your reviews. I just ordered it from Amazon. I guess I’ll get it in a couple of days.

Thanks Barry. We tend to have similar tastes in movies. By the way, I finally got to watch "The Best Years of Our Lives." Absolutely loved it a lot. Thanks for the recommendation. 

[Paul Heroy]

Liked this one a LOT. In chatting with a friend about it he brought up an old Roger Ebert comment, paraphrasing, that love stories are all the same but what matters is if you believe and buy into the characters. The change in locale worked for me, the characters worked, the way they tied in to older movies and incorporated some "fan service" worked. There could have been a bit more development in parts but overall, I bought the key pieces. I've seen McKenna Grace before but not enough to know her well but I thought she was outstanding as the nerdy and precocious Phoebe, and along with the kid who played Podcast really nailed the key relationship in the movie. The physical makeover they gave her to give a family resemblance to her grandfather Egon was great.

I did start calling it "Ghostbusters: Goonie Things" for myself, though, lol.

[David Vaughn]

Liked this one a LOT. In chatting with a friend about it he brought up an old Roger Ebert comment, paraphrasing, that love stories are all the same but what matters is if you believe and buy into the characters. The change in locale worked for me, the characters worked, the way they tied in to older movies and incorporated some "fan service" worked. There could have been a bit more development in parts but overall, I bought the key pieces. I've seen McKenna Grace before but not enough to know her well but I thought she was outstanding as the nerdy and precocious Phoebe, and along with the kid who played Podcast really nailed the key relationship in the movie. The physical makeover they gave her to give a family resemblance to her grandfather Egon was great.

I did start calling it "Ghostbusters: Goonie Things" for myself, though, lol.

I couldn't agree more Paul. Thanks for chiming in. 

[SRW1000]

I was really looking forward to this movie, having heard lots of positive comments about it, but it just didn't work for me at all.  Maybe it was because I only kinda liked the original one, didn't care for the second, and completely skipped the 2016 version, just based on the dreadful trailers and commercials.

The movie started out well with the opening scenes, and then went downhill from there.  The mother was completely unlikeable, and it was hard to reconcile the way Egon changed between the earlier movies and this one.  Yes, the plot tries to explain the change, but it seemed so drastic as to pull me out of the movie.  There were so few surprises, and so much of the movie just felt like fan service rather than story-driven elements.

The kids didn't talk or act like kids, more like little versions of adults.  And some of the decisions just didn't make any sense (I'm looking at you, Grooberson), and perfect examples of having smart characters make really, really stupid decisions.

It dragged in spots, and I was happy when it was finally over.

I will agree that the sound was excellent, even on 5.1 BD that shipped from Netflix.  (Come on, Sony, there's no reason not to include the Atmos mix on a BD.  Stop shorting consumers).  It's certainly filled with demo material, hats off to the team that worked on that.

Glad to see a lot of people liked this one, especially by looking at the box office receipts, but wasn't my cup of tea.

Scott

[David Vaughn]

I was really looking forward to this movie, having heard lots of positive comments about it, but it just didn't work for me at all.  Maybe it was because I only kinda liked the original one, didn't care for the second, and completely skipped the 2016 version, just based on the dreadful trailers and commercials.

The movie started out well with the opening scenes, and then went downhill from there.  The mother was completely unlikeable, and it was hard to reconcile the way Egon changed between the earlier movies and this one.  Yes, the plot tries to explain the change, but it seemed so drastic as to pull me out of the movie.  There were so few surprises, and so much of the movie just felt like fan service rather than story-driven elements.

The kids didn't talk or act like kids, more like little versions of adults.  And some of the decisions just didn't make any sense (I'm looking at you, Grooberson), and perfect examples of having smart characters make really, really stupid decisions.

It dragged in spots, and I was happy when it was finally over.

I will agree that the sound was excellent, even on 5.1 BD that shipped from Netflix.  (Come on, Sony, there's no reason not to include the Atmos mix on a BD.  Stop shorting consumers).  It's certainly filled with demo material, hats off to the team that worked on that.

Glad to see a lot of people liked this one, especially by looking at the box office receipts, but wasn't my cup of tea.

Scott

Sorry you didn't care for it much Scott. There are times when I watch a movie and it's a letdown because my expectations were so high...maybe that came into play here. 

[Ralph P.]

Greetings,

Nice review Dave! I enjoyed this one as well, finding it's nostalgia to be complimentary. 


Regards,

[David Vaughn]

Greetings,

Nice review Dave! I enjoyed this one as well, finding it's nostalgia to be complimentary.


Regards,

Thanks Ralph. I agree about the nostalgia as well.