Ghostbusters was a blockbuster comedy of 1984, with much of its goofy hilarity entering into the zeitgeist soon afterward. It is unconvincing to me that the premise of this new feature suggests that nobody remembers the ghost craze of that era. Nevertheless, this new film from the son of the original director affectionately brings the tale into the 21st century with great charm, some nice scares and a likable cast of teenage characters to carry on the tradition of Savin’ the Day (that’s a music reference from the first film, courtesy of Alessi).
Jason Reitman’s film finds the right tone early and sustains it most of the way until the big final confrontation with Gozer and Zuul and so on. The daughter and grandchildren of one of the original Ghostbusters inherit a decrepit old house and farm in Summerville. There, they learn that he had a very big secret and eventually figure out what it is, during which ghost activity explodes and the end of the world comes nigh. It is up to the kids — Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), plus their friends Podcast (Logan Kim) and Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) — to step up and save the day, which they do with little fear and a lot of gumption, as well as a little help from unexpected associates.
From early on this movie about lost people looking for their place in the world finds exactly the right tone, aided greatly by Rob Simonsen’s beautifully modulated use of Elmer Bernstein’s music cues from the first film. As the eerie occurrences mount and the mystery deepens, the kids poke around fearlessly and embrace the weirdness that they encounter, bringing them right into place to take their place as the next generation of Ghostbusters. Meanwhile, Callie (Carrie Coon) not only begins to appreciate her family heritage but hooks up with local scientist / teacher Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) in ways I don’t want to divulge. It’s a wild, and mighty fun ride; I laughed a great deal at all of the in-jokes and shenanigans (though not at Phoebe’s terrible jokes).
Ignoring the ill-advised all female Ghostbusters fiasco of 2016, this movie revisits the first two (1984 and 1989) and continues that adventure in a very satisfying and rewarding way. If you haven’t seen the 1980s movies in a while, revisit them first; it will help keep things in this one straight and heighten the successful joke quotient. Nostalgia is a big factor, but being able to appreciate one’s family, even if they seem to be crazy, is of primary importance. This is just the right type of light-hearted, heart-warming entertainment for Thanksgiving, and it is going to be a big blockbuster, just like its origin story. ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. 25 November 2021.