Disclaimer: Spoilers may be spilled 

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, we should always be protected from them. Luckily, the Ghostbusters are back. With the recent movie “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” there is controversy if this will meet the standards of the older movies.

The original “Ghostbusters” movie came out in 1984, and just like every other movie made in the 1980s, the visual effects just didn’t look clean, but what can you expect from the technology of the time? Even with the lack of effects, “Ghostbusters” hit number one on the Billboard Top 100 Charts and remained in first for three weeks. 

The original “Ghostbusters” was directed by Ivan Reitman and the newer rendition of the series was directed by Ivan Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman. Jason Reitman was put under a lot of pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps and produce a well-liked movie. 

At the beginning of “Afterlife,” viewers are introduced to a small backstory of how one of the main Ghostbusters, Egon Spangler (Harold Ramis), was killed. Sadly he did pass away in real life, but he did have a small appearance in the new movie. With technology advancements, the video editors were able to deepfake his face, meaning an animated picture was in replace of him. So, he did not have any talking lines.  We are also presented with the new Ghostbusters, this time very young: Phoebe (Makenna Grace), the youngest of them all, and her brother “Trevor” (Finn Wolfhard) who is just 15 years old. These two are very connected to the original ghostbusters since they are Egon Spangler’s grandchildren. The Spangler family does not have much money, so they inherit Egon Spangler’s house, and just as you could imagine in a scary ghost movie, it is very beaten up, nasty and in the middle of nowhere without any service. 

Other than the fact that the movie is filled with ghosts, it seems like a pretty realistic movie. I felt as if this could really happen in a small town in Oklahoma called Summerville. Despite the setting being a small town where everyone knows each other, the Spanglers are the exception. So that doesn’t necessarily add up to me.

Just like the other “Ghostbuster” films, this movie moves very quickly but it is bearable. The overall time for “Afterlife” is just over two hours. Even with this high-speed pace, there is humor throughout the film. The audience and I let out multiple laughs even during the climax of the movie. The humor is the main reason I enjoyed this movie so much.  I was wondering if we would see the original four Ghostbusters. There was a small teaser in the trailer that included a ghostbusters voice before ending the video. 

Coming from a teenager’s point of view, I really enjoyed this movie and I think it has a lot of potential. I may make a lot of older fans mad by saying this, but I liked this movie more than the originals. It may be because I am a kid and there were other kids in the movie, or it may have been all the humor wrapped around each character. I also think “Afterlife” was much more visually appealing and it is just easier to watch than the 1984 movies. When I watch the original movies I tend to lose focus, unlike this one. I also think that the humor is much more current and easier for me to understand. I would give “Afterlife” an 8/10 and if you have any knowledge of the older movies, you should go see it. Like I said earlier, the pace moves a little quickly but it isn’t terrible. That is one of few reasons why I would deduct points. So if I come across any ghosts, I will give the new members a ring.