#raystantz

OMG HE’S SO handsome I can’t!

Its all I've been thinking about for a few days... ANYWHO fellow Stantz simps come get yo juice

Well, well, well it's been a long time hasn't it!

I'm so sorry for neglecting this blog but so many things have been going on that I have been forced to make cut backs in areas I probably shouldn't have! But I'm making more time for me now, so in the words of Emperor Kuzco 'I'm back baby!'

Just a quick mention as well, I started up a sister blog for my Disney content which is a wee bit more active than this one, if you fancy a look into the mind of a Disney obsessed weirdo then go take a look at lozdoesdisney on Instagram!

What a brilliant film to come back to the world of reviews with! I have waited so long for new Ghostbusters content, as I'm sure has everybody else, and honestly I wasn't disappointed at all.

STOP NOW IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS!

ALRIGHTY, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

So we are approximately 30 years after the original Ghostbusters movie. Egon has recently passed away and we meet his family who he had left behind in both senses of that phrase. Focus is primarily on his Granddaughter Phoebe, she looks like him, she acts like him, and she's a bloody badass, no wonder she is our leading lady.

Now what I disliked about the first half of the movie is the fact that the Spengler kin have basically disowned Egon due to his absence. They claim not to have known him and painted him in a very negative light. I find this unbelievable, obviously the plot point is he ran away to make everyone safe from the wrath of Gozer and that is in keeping with his character, and I know that Callie is only saying that rightfully as any upset daughter would if you want to blame someone for leaving without understanding why. But surely she knew enough, especially as she knew who her dad was, to know he wouldn't have left her in the lurch in cold blood? Whatever.

The other bit which doesn't sit right with me is the fact that I didn't see Slimer once. He is an integral part of the GB brand and unless I missed it he wasn't in it for a second.

Otherwise I found the narrative quite compelling and entertaining. Seemed a little slow but that was purely down to needing to set an accurate picture of where we are and who we are with or else the explosive ending wouldn't have been nearly as climactic as it was.

I was due to see Afterlife on opening night but went out to a work meal instead so I was absolutely chomping at the bit Friday and booked the last screening. My poor brother got dragged along but he enjoyed it just as much as I did. High praise indeed especially as he has only seen the first film. I found myself explaining some relevant plot points in the car on the way home, like the fact Egon didn't have any dialogue was because Harold Ramis had died in real life, he didn't realise that was the reason we were missing a Ghostbuster, nor that was the reason I was bauling my eyes out during the final sequence. Goddamn Ghostbusters had no business making me cry like that.

I felt the dynamic between Phoebe and Trevor was lacking a little, the few times they interacted didn't overly seem like they were siblings until we started moving towards the end. There isn't much of an age difference between them for the movie but a huge difference in personality, but even then I thought I would see some bickering or teasing but instead it was straight up indifference and awkward interactions. My brother and I are awkward with each other, but it's usually followed up by a gesture of niceness or straight up sibling rivalry, we didn't see that on screen.

Gary and Callie on the other hand, woah. Get me a romance like that, banterships are the new mascots of healthy relationships and those two are onto a win. They are totally themselves and don't hide it, and Gary already loves the kids so he's a winner, not to mention the fact that he is a straight up nice guy (as expected from Paul Rudd) and Callie deserves some stability and true love like that. My only grievance with Rudd's character is his polar opposites. He did a great job of combining scientist with hot sorority guy but seemed a bit off. I got dick vibes as he was marching around that Walmart and putting horror films on for 12 year olds, he seemed like the stereotypical American jerk type but then has this great brain and amazing personality. Great this shows a depth as don't judge a book by it's cover and all, but still a weird thing as I felt like I was watching two different characters depending on the plot device. I feel like Gary is the type of guy to go smoke weed in his car on his lunch break only to go home and smash out an award winning thesis on tectonic plates and it's involvement in paranormal happenings.

What I loved most about this film is the parallel it draws to the first movie. Gozer, the gate keeper and key master. The dialogue which is repeated in those crucial scenes. The costumes, the set. They were bloody faithful to the original and god the nostalgia was killing me. This was a movie dedicated to the memory on our childhood and surpassed expectations at every point. I had an idea of what I was walking into and I was wrong. I thought I was going to see a film with a new threat, a tribute to our boys AND gals but more so a wave at a memory but moving on to a totally new story and the inevitable breaking up of a team in order to pass the mantle. I was not expecting a completely valid continuation of story, a beautiful ending, a team united to include, NOT pass on to the next gen, and a chance to worship and say goodbye at the same time. This was a creation worthy of our time, this was brilliantly done.

I'm not going to go too much into the ending as that is one spoiler too many and I'd be pissed if I had read it on the internet 3 days after the film's release. But what I will say is yes the heroes return in all their glory. Wasn't as long as I wished it could have been, but it was just as awesome and left me with the intense desire to binge watch the original movies the second I got home. It also broke my heart, the apologies which I know from research on all the actors extend to the real world and things they wished they could have said but never got the chance, the tribute to my favourite Ghostbuster and the fact the film hadn't even finished and it stated his dedication. I was a mess, I sat there sobbing silently for a good ten minutes and my poor baby brother had no idea why until I explained. With this in mind I implore you to go and see this movie especially if you are a fan, just for closure if anything else. It was a final nostalgic trip to pay respects and say goodbye to our childhood heroes. As let's face it, even if you weren't a kid from the 80s Ghostbusters have still found a way to enter the lives of every single person here to date. The movies are a legacy which here here to stay.

All in all, I give Ghostbusters: Afterlife an 8/10. If I am being truly honest with myself it was a little disjointed, a teensy bit rushed, but completely sugar coated by nostalgia so nobody minds. In my humble opinion it was not long enough to fit in all the pieces and I would have loved to see more of the original team, but it wasn't about them, not really. But I sure am happy with what we got.

Just finally I want to talk about sequel potential. We've got an open ending where naturally more films could come. But these would be films for the new generation of Ghostbusters and this is the reason I am in two minds. I full believe the mantle should be passed and the legacy continues. But at the same time I don't want it to, this is perfect as it is, this should be a stop, we have said goodbye in a fitting way as we are all grown. I just don't want the magic to be spoilt but at the same time would love an expansion. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this. I just don't think it would be right to have a future in this universe without the original team.