If you'd like to be surprised by the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 0:54, because it starts to give away parts of the plot. The trailer is basically providing a summary of the first half of the story.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
video © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
Article updated: 2021.12.01
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) is a contemporary sci-fi / fantasy adventure film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
Original title: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Series: Ghostbusters
Previous entries in the series: Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters 2 (1989). The movie disregards Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009), and Ghostbusters (2016).
Setting: fantasy Earth (Ghostbusters universe)
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary sci-fi / fantasy adventure, Style: sci-fi, fantasy, ghosts, action, adventure
Release: Premiere: 2021.08.23 (CinemaCon), Release: 2021.11.11
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2021.11), first time
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points), as a sequel to Ghostbusters, it's Bad (1 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points)
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This is my review of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a contemporary sci-fi / fantasy adventure movie from 2021. It's about a family inheriting an ominous legacy, leading them to confront otherworldly creatures. The Ghostbusters: Afterlife film is watchable, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
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Review (spoiler-free) - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
I knew they were going to make a sequel to the old series, abandoning the reboot, but I wasn't very excited, fearing something like the all-female Ghostbusters movie that was terrible. When I've seen the trailer, it reassured me a little, that it might be a watchable movie. When it came out, I was still a little bit afraid, but when a friend said she's about to go watching it, I've decided to join her. I've seen all of the previous movies, and I liked the first two.
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie is about a family inheriting an ominous legacy, leading them to confront otherworldly creatures.
The story is mediocre, mostly just repeating the plot of Ghostbusters (1984). The story is not consistent - it goes from straight horror, through family drama to horror parody, and it doesn't feel like an organic mix. There are no character arcs, every character is at the peak of their abilities (even the teenagers). There are plenty of major problems with the story, both internally and dramatically.
I like it that they don't rush the story, the creators took their time to set up the characters and the setting, although it could have been done more efficiently.
The cinematography is uneven. There are some nice, good scenes. Then, there are lame close-ups on merchandising opportunities, that ruin the previous shot. It's not very interesting visually, the only interesting parts are the sets and props we have already seen in the first movie.
The characters are just stereotypes, without any further thoughts about their personality. The actors portray them accordingly. It's only the daughter (played by Mckenna Grace), who either got lucky with a good director, or put some effort into making her character interesting.
The music (by Rob Simonsen) is passable. The good parts are the old themes, but the new music is at least not intrusive.
I don't know for whom is this movie intended for. It's probably more enjoyable if you haven't seen the previous movies, but then in the beginning there are parts you won't understand.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a watchable contemporary fantasy movie. As a stand-alone film, it's acceptable. As a sequel to Ghostbusters, it's unneccessary, but harmless, that I think only avid fans of the series might appreciate. Is this movie worth anything? Probably only for nostalgic reasons.
My experience
I was not satisfied with Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021). It's still better though than Ghostbusters (2016).
Rating: Weak (2- out of 3 points). Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a watchable film, but not very good. However, as a sequel to the originals, I find it Bad (1 out of 3 points), as it doesn't really build on them, it just repeats the same beats, without any further thoughts, and adds problematic elements.
Enjoyment: Bad (1 out of 3 points). I didn't like Ghostbusters: Afterlife. It didn't bring anything new to the table. When I've finished it, I considered it Weak (2-), but after thinking about the whole story, I realised it's worse than I've first thought.
Rewatchability: Low. I don't think anyone would want watch this again. There are no interesting action scenes, or likeable characters to gather traction.
Chance of watching it again: Nope. Once was enough.
Chance of watching a sequel: Probably. I still didn't give up on Ghostbusters, but I'd be more cautious.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
Will you enjoy this?
If you like contemporary fantasy adventure movies, you might enjoy Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
If you like mystery movies, you might like Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
If you like horror or action thriller movies (Hellraiser, Nightmare on Elm Street), you might like the film, although there are not many action scenes or scary scenes in the Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie.
If you like supernatural research stories, you might like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, although the focus is not really on the research and investigation.
If you enjoyed the Ghostbusters (1984), you might be interested in this story. Although you'll probably be disappointed.
If you don't mind illogical elements in your movies, you can enjoy this.
If you prefer visuals over story, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has some nice scenes, but you'll have to sit a long time before the next good one.
If you hate comedy movies, you can still sit down to watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife, as humour is almost non-existent in this installment.
Do you need to see the previous films to enjoy this?
Good question. There are plenty of things you'll appreciate more if you'd seen the first movie (you don't need the second one).
However, if you've seen the first movie, you'll find it painful to watch this abomination of a sequel, and it will make you sad to see what had the creators done with your beloved characters.
Update: It seems that some reviewers, who consider themselves fans of the original movies, still like Ghostbusters: Afterlife, so it's not a mutually exclusive concept.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in fantasy stories, it might be worth watching the Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie for the plot points, but it's probably more convenient to just read it in the plot summary.
Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?
It's hard to tell, but I think you'll get the same experience, as it doesn't really build on the visuals.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
Review with spoilers - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie was a disappointment for me. It's a tricky film, because the first half is passable. The story is not very strong, but the actors are cute, and the viewer is still waiting for things to happen. Then they start happening, and it is revealed that the creators lacked either the imagination to do something new, or the courage to steer slightly away from the plot of the first movie. The only real changes were done for merchandising reasons, so they can sell ECTO-1 toys with sliding cars, and tiny marshmallow men toys.
Cover
The cover of the movie is okay, but could be better. It spoils parts of the plot, so you'll already know that the kids will get the Ghostbusters equipment and the teacher will join them.
The trailer
The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the first half (the good parts) of the movie.
If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will ruin the beginning of the movie for you.
Promise of the first scene
We see a guy getting killed by a ghost. I have no clue where will they go from here.
The start was a little confusing, even though I've seen the previous movies. There are references to the previous movies that only those will get, who have seen them. I'm afraid that the rest of the movie will be similarly confusing.
Execution: Luckily, the movie itself was totally different from the beginning. But that still didn't make it a good film.
Plot summary / Synopsis
There's a guy recklessly driving a van through a cornfield. He reaches a farm house, and brings up some devices that don't seem to be working. He hides something. Then the guy is attacked by some creature (a terror dog), that he zaps with a device before dying. The creature leaves. Then we see the ghost detector indicating ghostly presence in the vicinity of his body.
Then we see a family - a mother (Carrie Coon as Callie Spengler), a son (Finn Wolfhard as Trevor Spengler), and a daughter (Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler), who is good with electricity. They are being evicted from their rent due to overdue bills. Luckily, they have inherited a farm house from the recently died grandfather, the father of the mother.
They travel to the village (Summerville, Oklahoma). There's a minor tremor when they arrive at the grandfather's house. The daughter finds some odd device (PKE meter). The daughter sets up a chess table, before she goes to sleep, and the next morning, white has started the game, so she steps one with the black. They meet with some locals. The son fancies a girl (Celeste O'Connor as Lucky Domingo) who works at a bar (Spinner's), so he starts working there instead of going to school. The mother meets a teacher (Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson). The daughter meets a kid (Logan Kim as Podcast) in the school. It turns out that earthquakes are very frequent in this area, even though there's no volcano or fault line nearby. The daughter has a conversation with the teacher, who is interested in seismology.
The kid brings the daughter to an abandoned mine, that's supposedly haunted. The daughter doesn't believe in ghosts.
The daughter sees a chess figure moving by itself, and the device starts flashing lights. Then lights starts switching on, leading the daughter to another device (ghost trap). She brings that device to the school, where a teacher recognises it as an old ghost trap. The the daughter , the kid and the teacher let a ghost (a terror dog) out of the trap, that flies to the old mine.
At that night, the son, the girl, and their friends travel to the old mine to have some fun. They see something emerging from the mineshaft.
The daughter is lead by a ghost to the Ghostbusters equipment, and with the help of the ghost, she starts to learn about them. The daughter and the kid practice the use of the devices. They even try to catch a gluttonous ghost (Muncher), but it escapes. The son starts up the car (ECTO-1) he had found in the shed, with the help of the ghost. They all suit up to be Ghostbusters, and read it that there's an ancient god that wants to get free.
The next day there are reports of strange occurences. They go after the gluttonous ghost. They catch it, but in turn they also get caught by the police. They are let free, but their equipment is confiscated. That night, in a store, the teacher sees little small marshmallow men getting out of a bags. Then a terror dog attacks him.
The kids go to the old mine. They find mysterious things there, including an old guy, seemingly dead in a glass coffin. Then ominous things happen, demonic shadows appear, and the guy starts to move. Then devices, probably set up by the grandfather, stop them from entering this world.
The mother is attacked by a terror dog. By the time the kids get back home, she is possessed by the terror dog, and flees. The possessed mother meets with the possessed teacher, and they get together. The possessed teacher destroys the device that kept them from entering.
The kids get their devices back from the police station. They realise that the whole farm is a giant ghost trap, built for the time when the ancient god gets free. They have to lure it here, to get it imprisoned.
The kids go to the mine, where the ancient god (Olivia Wilde as Gozer) has awaken. The possessed mother and teacher turn into terror dogs. The old guy from the coffin greets the ancient god, but gets killed. While the kids distract the ancient god with lame jokes, they put a ghost trap under one of the terror dogs. As they catch the ghost, the mother gets free of possession, but the girl gets possessed instead. They lure the ancient god to the farm. They are almost defeated, when the old Ghostbusters (Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Raymond Stantz, and Ernie Hudson as Dr. Winston Zeddemore) show up. Even they are not enough, so the ghost of the grandfather also joins them, and then they are able to activate the giant ghost trap for the ancient god, trapping it. The teacher and the girl get free from possession.
In the post-credit scene, we see that an alert goes off in the original Ghostbusters HQ, in New York.
The setting
Contemporary fantasy Earth, where ghosts exist.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
The ghosts
In the first movie, the ghosts were creatures from another dimension. It was not really clear if the librarian was a ghost of a human or just a creature.
In the second movie, there were clearly ghosts that were spirits of deceased humans.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, there are both monster ghosts, that are being hunted, and the spirit of Egon, the ghost of a deceased human.
Egon's spirit disappears after they have defeated Gozer. Does this mean that ghosts stay here until they finish something they didn't finish in their lives?
So, it's not really clear for me, what's the rule for the ghosts.
The message of the story
I'm not sure there's one. "When everything else fails, hope that a ghost will help you out"?
The structure of the story
The scenes of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film are played in sequence, following the same storyline.
There is no single viewpoint character.
It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - beginning, action, resolution.
Plot points of interests
The were a some changes to the characters.
Setting
Since 1989 there has been less and less ghost sighting, until it seems like they got all eliminated. There were probably multiple places of worship dedicated to Gozer.
New characters
Callie Spengler: Egon Spengler's daughter. She got left by her father. She got pregnant at 16. She doesn't care about the problems of her kids, she doesn't even try to come up with money. Got possessed by a terror dog to become the Gatekeeper.
Gary Grooberson: A teacher. Got possessed by a terror dog to become the Keymaster.
Muncher: A gluttonous ghost.
Phoebe Spengler: Egon Spengler's granddaughter, the daughter of Callie.
Trevor Spengler: Egon Spengler's grandson, the son of Callie.
Changes to characters
Egon Spengler: Found a woman to have a daughter with. Then went nuts, and left the other Ghostbusters and his family. He stole the ECTO-1 and the Ghostbuster's equipment. He bought a farm near the temple of Gozer in Summerville, to build a trap for the god. Then he got killed by a terror dog.
Janine Melnitz: She took care of the financial matters of Egon Spengler.
Characters killed
Egon Spengler: Killed by a terror dog.
Ivo Shandor: Killed by Gozer.
Technology
Ghost taser: The PKE meter was modified by Egon to act as a weapon to be used for close encounters.
Proton-stream device: Egon set this device up at the temple of Gozer. When ghosts try to get out of the other dimension, four proton streams are crossed, creating the required energy to keep them away.
Revised ghost trap: The kids made this upgrade the next day they've found it. It doesn't need the long cables of the original, it can be mounted on a remote controlled car, and it can be activated remotely.
Fan-service
The fan-service aspect is visible in Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie, you get several elements from the original movies.
Scenes and elements from previous films:
Ghostbusters (1984)
- Music themes from the original
- The name of Ivo Shandor in Shandor Mining
- Ghost trap
- PKE meter
- terror dog possessing an armchair, and growing multiple grabbing arms from it
- the visor
- Books stacked on each other when they get to the house
- Statue of a terror dog
- ECTO-1
- ectoplasm dripping
- gluttonous ghost: Slimer in Ghostbusters, here it's Muncher.
- Ancient book about Gozer
- Egon Spengler's fungus collection (as mentioned on TVTropes)
- a Twinkie, as it was shown that Egon likes Twinkies (as mentioned by WatchMojo.com)
- fireman's pole
- wrapper of a Nestle Crunch bar, probably the one Egon has earned (as mentioned by WatchMojo.com)
- Marshmallow men
- sudden appearance of zombie: It was a cab driver, now it's a miner.
- "Mind reader" device
- terror dog bursting through a door
- terror dogs possessing people
- Dana's dress after being possessed
- Gozer's temple set
- Gozer's look
- possessed people turning into terror dogs
- "Are you a god?"
- sitting on the ground, after a failed attack on Gozer
- crossing the streams
- guy gets covered in marshmallow
- ESP test
- the old Ghostbusters HQ
Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
- Ray's occult shop (as mentioned by WatchMojo.com)
The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)
- The ECTO-1 used for chasing ghosts
Ghostbusters toys
- ECTO-1 toy, with the gunner seat: Although it worked with an opening tailgate, instead of a sliding seat on the side.
- Bug-Eye ghost, that can throw its eye
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009)
- the look of Ivo Shandor
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Things I liked
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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
From the writer / director (Jason Reitman), I've only seen Up in the Air (2009) before, and that was good.
This is the first feature film of the other writer (Gil Kenan).
I have no clue whose fault is the weak story.
How does it compare to the other films in the series?
It's worse than the first two movies, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters 2 (1989).
It's probably better than Ghostbusters (2016), but your mileage might vary, it really depends on your expectations.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
Analysis of the story - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
I didn't like the story. There were major problems that prevented me from enjoying Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Problematic elements
Into the middle of it: The beginning is confusing. If you have seen the previous movies, you'll know that the guy tries to use a ghost trap and a ghost detector, but for someone new, those are just meaningless devices. When the ghost detector starts to work after the guy dies, it won't means spiritual activity to the newbies. It would have been great to get some explanations.
Many scenes only build up tension if the viewer already knows the answers. For any newbies, these are just meaningless:
- The flashing device lights up! - The PKE meter indicates there's a ghost nearby.
- There's this striped box! Should we open it? - It's a ghost trap that holds ghosts, so you shouldn't open it.
- There's something under the canvas! - It's the ECTO-1, so it will be cool to see it again!
The whole set-up: I didn't like the way the creators handled the thirty-years gap:
- The son and daughter, although they know that their name is Spengler, and they had a grandfather, also Spengler, and there was a famous Ghostbuster Spengler, and nobody in their family ever told them that they are related? Is WikiPedia not a thing in this universe?
- The mother doesn't fit into the Ghostbusters timeline. Their last work happened in 1989, 32 years ago, when Spengler didn't have a family yet. It's 2021 in the movie. The son is 15 years old, so he was born in 2006. That means the mother was 16 years old, when he was born, given that Spengler hopped into the child-making business immediately after Ghostbusters 2. If it took him longer to find the right woman, that means the mother of his grandson was even younger. That shows a really messed up daughter, hinting how bad father Egon was.
- The rest of the Ghostbusters team just giving up on Egon sounds unlikely. They seemed to be all-around nice chaps.
- The fact that Egon was so stupid that he only raved about the coming Apocalypse, instead of showing photos of the temple in the mines, and of the glass coffin of Ivo Shandor. That might have been more convincing. He seemed to be quite intelligent in the previous movies. If any of them would have turned into a spooky one, it should have been Ray Stantz, who was already into ghosts, even before they've found evidence about their existence.
- Egon also seems to be a normal guy, who wouldn't abandon his daughter. Even if he would work on the farm, he'd probably spend the weekends with the family, or something like that.
- Egon apparently got together with a random (unnamed) girl. The first two movies set him up with Janine, but this film made it clear that Janine was not the mother of his daughter.
- Apparently there were no ghosts for the past 30 years. Were there really only cult of Gozer and Vigo the only two real occult cults on Earth? Or did the rest of them just stop their summoning rituals because they were afraid of the Ghostbusters popping in?
Non-believer girl: Although the girl announces that she doesn't believe in ghosts, she seems unfazed by the chess pieces moving by themselves, and witnessing telekinesis. This also goes against the internal logic of the setting. In the Ghostbusters universe, it's a fact that ghosts existst. So, scientists would know that there are ghosts, and the daughter is into science. So, in order to be a non-believer, she should have been some anti-science conspiracy theorist.
Science girl: It's cool that the girl is interested in science, but that doesn't mean that she knows everything about every science, especially not more than the experts of that field. It was a little annoying.
ECTO-1: I believe that the car was there in the shed for a long time, even before the dead of the grandpa. At least, it looks very dirty. I don't think there's petrol in the tank, and even if there is, I'm not sure it's still useable. The same goes for the battery. Sure, the ghost helps him, but it would need a miracle. (Update: I've read it in an article that he was supposed to be a "gearhead", but I didn't get that from the movie.)
Fireman's pole: Why is there a fireman's pole? Especially to reach the basement? It was there in the originals because they have bought a fireman station, but why would Egon install one for his basement?
Expertise without preparations: The daughter doesn't even now about the Ghostbusters, but she handles their devices, for example the proton gun, like an expert. I don't miss a training montage, but it's the next day she had found them, so there just was no time for her to even familiarise with them. The ghost grandpa is a good choice to be a mentor, but learning takes time.
Upgraded ghost trap: The kids manage to create a remote controlled version of the ghost trap, something that Egon wasn't able to do, causing his demise. How come these kids are so good in engineering?
Stupid ghost: While they chase the ghost in the car, luckily, the ghost only flies over roads. Had it gone offroad, it would have easily escaped the old car.
Marshmallow men: This was an annoying fan-service / merchandise cash grab that wouldn't fit the more serious nature of the previous films. This would be a more fitting scene in Gremlins 2, or in The Evil Dead 2. Also, there's no explanation for their appearance in the movie.
Unneccessary closups of the Ghostbusters logo: It's been a while since I've seen the original movies, but I don't remember that there would have been a theme of constantly showing the logo. After a couple of times it started to be irritating.
Ghostbuster uniforms: They all dress up, and the uniforms fit them fine. However, these are 10-16 year old scrawny kids, whole the uniforms were made for adults. Egon Spengler, whose uniforms they probably use, was 188 cm tall. In comparison, the daughter is 150 cm, the girl is 170 cm, while the son is 178 cm.
The Keepers: The Keepers in the first movie were confused, and had to spend some time finding each other, especially that they didn't know how the other one looks like. Here, it seems very convenient that they happen to pass the same place, and recognise each other instantly, so they can get together right in time for Armageddon.
Dana's dress: I assumed that Dana dressed up in a revealing dress after getting possessed. Seeing that the clothing magically appears on the mother in this movie seems out of place.
Letting out the ghost in the evidence room: It was a very lucky coincidence that the ghost, the was probably mad at them for capturing it, spent some time to conveniently eat the bars and the lock, before going through the wall. It could have eaten their devices instead, or simply eat the kids.
Lazy god: Gozer seems to be really lazy (or tame) in this movie:
- The daughter's jokes: Gozer just waits patiently listening to lame jokes. Why does it wait to kill the daughter? Why doesn't it do anything about the other kid?
- Ghostbusters: Why would Gozer delay the attack when it sees the old Ghostbusters? Why would it care? Even if it does, it probably hates them for stopping it previously. Then it repeats the question scene from the first movie, instead of wiping them from the Earth, like the bugs they are.
Insider knowledge: Why does the son run to the petrified terror dog, shouting "Lucky", and tearing off the head? How would he know that the terror dog is now just a shell, covering the victim? Last time, when the terror dog was trapped, the victim just appeared.
The protagonist: The only real character in the movie is the daughter. The son is only there to drive the car, because the daughter is too young to drive. The mother is only there to provide background support for the daughter, because she is too young to support herself.
Unanswered questions
- What happened to the cult of Gozer? Where are they now? Did Egon kill all of them, and get rid of the bodies in the mine?
- Why does the son get into the car? Where does he want to go? What does he want to achieve?
- It's clearly stated that the teacher and the mother had sex, to be able to create Gozer. Does that mean that Dana and Louis also had sex? And did the teacher and Lucky also had sex to recreate Gozer?
* * *
Possibilities of improvement
- Cut the beginning with the dying grandfather. We'll get to know in time he was a Ghostbuster, it doesn't need to be rushed. Also, it's in the trailer, so this part is unneccessary for anyone who had seen the trailer, and annoying for those who did't see the trailer, but would like to be surprised by the story.
- When the girl talks about seismology with the teacher, cut the parts when she implies that she already knows everything.
- Let it be mentioned, that the son is a car expert, and that he took some time to do repairs on the old ECTO-1 offscreen. It would make it easier to believe that the car still works.
- Make it look like there was time after they have found the Ghostbuster gadgets and the first time they have gone after a ghost. That would make it more believable their skilled use of them.
- Cut the police out of the story. If their stuff is not taken, then there's no need to free it with the help of a ghost. The whole thing is just filler.
How it could have been better?
Give a more prominent role for the son and the mother, or leave them from the story. Let the daughter be a little older - old enough to drive a car, and to have a life of her own. She could be the estranged daughter of Egon Spengler, it would be more fitting to the timeline anyway.
* * *
Thoughts about the reviews of others
Many reviewers seem to think that the photos in the basement imply that Egon loved his daughter, and that the photos were already there before he died. They forget however, that the ghost of Egon is able to manipulate objects. So, he could have set up the little display after his death, when he had seen that his daughter and grandkids moved into his farm.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
image © Columbia Pictures (Sony) & BRON Creative U.S.A.
Uses for the film - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
Plot
- There's a cultist, who wants to summon an ancient god, hoping that he'll get rewards in return.
- A team of scientists tries to stop creatures from another dimension from entering the world.
- Descendant of a scientist finds strange devices in their heritage.
- The descendant of a scientist continues the work of the ancestor.
Scenes
- The prelude could be used as the security camera footage to show a mysterious death, to begin some kind of paranormal investigation.
- When ghosts show up in the city before the final confrontation, it looks good, but it's probably still better in the 1984 original.
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
- Gluttonous creature: There's a creature randomly wandering on the playing area. At the beginning of every turn, roll a random direction, and move the creature. If a small scenery piece gets in its way, than it stops to destroy it. It can only destroy non-vital scenery. It may destroy obstacles, but cannot create ones. For example, it can destroy a door, letting units in, but cannot destroy a bridge, keeping units out, unless every side has at least one unit that is able to cross the terrain the bridge was over. The creature otherwise doesn't care about the units. Regular weapons don't harm it. Energy or magical weapons can harm and destroy the creature. If a unit attacks the creature, it makes it mad, and in the next turn, it will charge towards the attacking unit. If the unit receives a hit, the creature eats their weapons. Put a marker on the model, showing that its unarmed.
- The gate: There's a magical gate in the middle of the playing area, but there's a magical ward on it, preventing the entities from opening it. One side is trying to destroy the gate, the other side, the cultists, try to defend it. The defenders set up the playing area. The defender units are not very skilled fighters. At the beginning of every turn, the defender rolls a d6. On a roll of 1, a ghost gets out of the gate. The ghost can move through walls. It can attack any living models. If it hits, armour doesn't count for wounding. If it wounds the model, it possesses it. Exchange the model for another, indicating a possessed person. The possessed model is able to crack the magical wards, so it should go back to the gate. If it spends an action, on a d6 roll of 1, it disables the defences, and the ghosts can get through the magical gate. If the attackers reach the magical ward, if they spend an action, on a d6 roll of 1, they are able to recharge it, closing the gate, thus preventing any ghosts from entering through it. The defender wins if they disable the wards. The attacker wins if they recharge the wards. It's a draw if both sides are unable to do that, and they lose all of their forces.
- Tough enemy: One side has a very powerful enemy. The other side has special weapons that can be used to hold that enemy. The weapons require a succesful hit to take effect. While being effected, the enemy has to make an attack roll - a succes takes one effect off the enemy. If the system uses critical success, those take off extra effects. When there's four effects on the enemy, it is unable to do anything. The other side either has some other device that can defeat the enemy while being held, or they win the scenario by preventing the enemy from completing their objective in time.
- Traps: The defender has a trap prepared to catch the leader of the attackers. The defender sets up the playing area, and secretly indicates a zone that will be the trap. In order to activate the trap, there must be a model in a neighbouring zone. When the trap activates, it destroys everything in the zone (or around 10x10 cm area). The defender wins if they destroy the leader of the attackers (with or without the trap), while more than half of their own troops remain. The attackers win if they complete their objective.
- Harder for the defender: The defender needs specialist troops to activate the traps. A regular unit can't just activate it.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Ghosts: Human-sized or large creatures. Any kind of monster models.
Ghostbusters: Human-sized modern or futuristic soldiers, with backpack.
ECTO-1: A 1/50-1/60 scale Miller Meteor Cadillac Ambulance Sentinel model, with some conversion required to add the gadgets on top.
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Similar stories - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
Graphic novels
Ghostbusters (IDW, 2008-2020-): A team (scientists) hunts creatures (ghosts) that threaten the world.
The Real Ghostbusters (Marvel UK / NOW, 1988-1992): A team (scientists) hunts creatures (ghosts) that threaten the world.
Movies
Ghostbusters (1984): A team (scientists) finds out that ghosts are real. Ghosts start to appear more and more often. They get (build) equipment to deal with them. They defeat the ghosts.
Ghostbusters 2 (1989): Ghosts start to appear more and more often. A ghost hunting team gets (build) equipment to deal with them. They defeat the ghosts.
TV series & episodes
The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991): A team (scientists) hunts creatures (ghosts) that threaten the world.
Extreme Ghostbusters (1997): A team (a scientist and some students) hunts creatures (ghosts) that threaten the world.
Computer games
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009, 2019): A team (scientists) hunts creatures (ghosts) that threaten the world.
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Frequently asked questions - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
Is the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film based on a book or comics?
No, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is not based on either books or comics.
Is the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film a remake or reboot?
No, the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film is not a remake. It could be considered a soft reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in Ghostbusters: Afterlife? Does Ghostbusters: Afterlife have end credit scenes?
Yes, there's a mid-credit and a post credit scene in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Is Ghostbusters: Afterlife a sequel to the original Ghostbusters movies?
Yes, it is a sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters 2 (1989). It's not a sequel to Ghostbusters (2016).
Where can I see Ghostbusters: Afterlife? Where can I watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife online? Is Ghostbusters: Afterlife available on Netflix? Is Ghostbusters: Afterlife on Amazon?
As of 2021.11.22, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is only in cinemas.
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Resources - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
Official
Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Official website.
Information
IMDB: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021): Database article.
WikiPedia: Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Database article.
Letterboxd: Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2021: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Ghostbusters: Afterlife 2021: Database article.
TVTropes: Film / Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - Ghostbusters: Afterlife film (2021)
: Review video about the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - Ghostbusters: Afterlife film (2021)
Mike Stoklasa, Jay Bauman and Rich Evans (for RedLetterMedia): Half in the Bag: Ghostbusters: Afterlife (SPOILERS): Review article of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie, with spoilers.Ł
Analysis - Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie (2021)
Rebecca (for WatchMojo.com): Top 10 Things You Missed in Ghostbusters: Afterlife: Analysis video, explaining the easter eggs in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.Ł
Ryan George (for Screen Rant): Ghostbusters: Afterlife Pitch Meeting: Humorous analysis video about Ghostbusters: Afterlife.Ł
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Buying the product - Ghostbusters: Afterlife, movie (2021)
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Have you seen the Ghostbusters: Afterlife film? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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