Trailer: 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' Dodges 'Ghostbusters' Comparisons By Being 'Stranger Things,' Instead

By Dustin Rowles | Film | December 9, 2019 |

By Dustin Rowles | Film | December 9, 2019 |

Whatever else you wanna say about Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters (2016), both were comedies. Jason Reitman seems to have sidestepped comparisons either to the original or the female-led reboot by making it look more like Stranger Things, a TV series based on 1980s movies (although, not Ghostbusters). It’s more Amblin than Ivan Reitman, although Jason Reitman clearly ties the mythology back to the original via the grandfather of one of the teenagers, Peter Venkman.

It also features a terrific cast in Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Paul Rudd. Coon’s husband, Tracey Letts, also appears a couple of times in the trailer, so I’m glad they got to spend some time together.

I don’t hate it. I mean, tonally it’s not really “Ghostbusters,” but that was probably the best way to reboot again without stepping on Ghostbusters 2016’s toes or necessarily drawing comparisons to Ghostbusters 1984. Jason Reitman apparently figured, “I can’t beat my father at his own game, so I will try something completely different,” and warm, character-driven dramas are what Jason Reitman does best, so a warm, character-driven drama set in a small town is what we’ll get.

Well done. Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters in Summer 2020.