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| Ghostbusters: Afterlife |
It all starts on a dark night in Summerville. A car rushes through the countryside of the remote Oklahoma town, escaping a dark invisible force bent on wreaking havoc in its path.
A well-known figure leaves the vehicle to take refuge in his home, trying to set off a series of traps for the spirit that intends to take his life. However, before meeting his fate, ours succeeds in its intent, leaving a series of clues to face the invisible threat that is preparing to dominate the world. After this mysterious prologue, Ghostbusters Legacy presents the protagonists of the story: it is the story of Phoebe, and her brother Trevor, the little ones of Callie Spengler. The latter is the daughter of Dr. Egon Spengler, a single mother with a difficult life. A sudden eviction forces the family to move to Summerville, where Egon's only legacy is found: an old ruin nestled in the Oklahoma countryside. Once on the spot, it will be little Phoebe to guess the true meaning of her grandfather's legacy.
Step by step, one mystery at a time, the protagonist reveals an arcane prophecy linked to the return of spirits to Earth: she is joined by Podcast, a kid obsessed with conspiracy, and by Gary, teacher, and expert in seismology. , whose researches prove invaluable in unraveling a part of the mystery buried in Summerville's bowels. And in dealing with the dangers on the horizon between one dimension and another, the new heroes of the Ghostbusters franchise retrace the footsteps of the original group, delving into the myth of the Ghostbusters and into the hearts of those who loved them.
The legacy of the real Ghostbusters
Unlike the 2016 female reboot, Ghostbusters Legacy is in all respects a sequel to the cult films of '84 and '89. A nostalgia operation that is as classic in setting as it is effective because of the final result. Jason Reitman follows in the footsteps of his father with enormous respect, in a first act that tries not to be excessively anchored to the past, lowering the stinging irony of the first Ghostbusters into an extremely metacinematographic modernity. Phoebe and her friends watch on YouTube old clips of the famous group, relive the historic commercial with a lot of telephone numbers, observe its exploits thanks to the videos stolen during the infamous wave of ghosts in New York of almost forty ' years ago.
The feature film travels with the decision, and perhaps with slight haste, the initial premise of the story, to immediately take us into its narrative heart: find old objects, recognize lost glories, giggle, and get excited in front of the most disparate and subtle quotes. And in the meantime, lead us to the rediscovery of the original myth. With the unaware eyes of a new generation, which handles proton backpacks and ghost traps with the ingenuity of those who live for the first time, and the gasps of a more experienced audience, ready to feel at home again in front of the immense amount of quotes visuals and direction to the original work of Reitman senior.
Ghostbusters Legacy transforms by the minute, leading us towards a third act that will shake the feelings of the audience stronger than a hurricane of protons. An ending that is also a touching and unforgettable tribute to the legacy of Harold Ramis, the interpreter of Spengler who passed away in 2014, and to whom the film is entirely dedicated.
Rogue nostalgia
Not everything is fully in focus in Reitman junior's work, however. Ghostbusters Legacy is a film that lives off the narrative naivety of a popular cult of the last century, almost as if to imitate even its defects. It is an inevitably derivative story from the first chapter, especially guilty of a substantial lack of courage in the script phase.
A very pure nostalgia operation, to the point, that the last part of the adventure almost takes on the nuances of a remake of the first Ghostbusters. A definitely deliberate choice, which however deprives the work of an identity of its own, entrusting its fate to an unbridled, omnipresent, even necessary and central quotations for the resolution of the story. Almost an event film, which despite the narrative defects described so far still manages to be effective and excite those who will grasp every single nuance of a tribute that is never really invasive. Ghostbusters Legacy is an intelligent celebration of the original saga, capable above all of restoring its atmospheres thanks to the vision of Jason Reitman. At a lesson from his father, the director returns the or the same spirit of the first work, driving the car with enslaved fidelity to the movements of the camera, to the marked expressionism, and to the ectoplasmic oddities of its historical predecessor.
Even in the effects, at times a bit plastic, Legacy tries to restore the fairly handcrafted effect of the classic, managing not to be too out of tune on the artistic side. Up to a compelling cast, which embraces the pungent humorous legacy of the original protagonists by creating effective and fun chemistry.
"Afterlife" is the original subtitle for Ghostbusters Legacy and is perfect for summing up the sentimental value and legacy that the original Ghostbusters left as much in pop culture as in this sequel. A film, to tell the truth, is not very courageous on the narrative side, which takes important portions of original mythology to trace a very derivative story for the 1984 film. A successful nostalgia operation, which winks with intelligence at old fans also trying to embrace new ones, up to an evocative and moving ending, designed exclusively for fans. A film that celebrates the legacy of the four classic heroes and above all the figure of Harold Ramis and his unforgettable Egon Spengler, ferrying the franchise towards a potential second life. We would like to think that the circle can be closed here. That Ghostbusters have finally gotten the sequel we've all been waiting for, and now they can enjoy some well-deserved rest. But when the flows cross again, you never know what might happen.