Ghostbusters: Afterlife [Blu-Ray]

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace

Release Date: February 1, 2022

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather, an original Ghostbuster, left behind. The film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman.

Please Note: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ accompanies a single mother and her two children as they move to a reclusive farmhouse owned by the woman’s father who she never knew. Having lost everything to their name, the family is forced to take up residence in the old, eerie farmhouse leading the kids to discover that their grandfather was in fact one of the original Ghostbusters. Thrilled at the discoveries around them, they begin rebuilding the various gadgets and tools (not to mention the worn classic car of course) remaining on the property out of mere curiosity. But when a terrifying ghostly evil that had been locked away for some time is in danger of being unleashed upon the town, they’ll have to take up the family business in an attempt to save the world and their own family legacy.

Directed by  Jason Reitman (Juno, The Front Runner) from a screenplay that he additionally co-wrote with Gil Kenan, Reitman does a magnificent job at the helm of ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ picking up the torch from his father and delivering a faithful, touching and just downright beautiful new chapter in the series. The film also owes its share of credit to the capable cast which includes Carrie Coon (The Post), Finn Wolfhard (IT), Mckenna Grace (Annabelle Comes Home), Annie Potts (TV’s Young Sheldon), Ernie Hudson (The Crow), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters II) and more, with the majority each offering solid, if not at least fitting performances in their respective roles overall.

‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is downright spectacular. A faithful continuation of the beloved franchise that picks up in modern time and connects the events of the first two classic films in more ways than any franchise fan could have dreamed of, while always doing so in a way that feels organic. At the same time it weaves a fitting tale to bring the story into a new generation while never for a moment forgetting where it came from and accomplishing it all through a touching and relatable coming of age story that almost feels right of the 1980’s in its own right. Filmmaker Jason Reitman (and of course son of Ivan Reitman, director of the original two Ghostbusters films) does an impressive job of picking up the torch and delivering a remarkable and surprisingly moving next chapter to the beloved saga that his father first helmed and his love and dedication to this film’s legendary roots is evident every step of the way in this new chapter. Finding clever ways to repeatedly tip his hat at the original and continue in its spirit while also developing a unique and powerful way to not only connect the generations on both ends but also pay tribute to those we’ve lost in the most rewarding way imaginable. I would wholeheartedly urge any fan of the original films to make a definite point of checking out ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ at your earliest convenience. It’s a magnificent follow-up to the original classics that any fan of the franchise won’t even want to think about missing out on.

Overall, ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ is a marvelous continuation of the classic series and a fitting reward for longtime fans. This is the sequel dedicated ‘Ghostbusters’ fans have been hoping for; an almost perfect continuation that always shows its love and appreciation for the original while also creating a perfect new take on the material to bring it all together. ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ easily earns one of my highest possible recommendations. It’s a fun, funny and heartfelt follow-up to the originals that only exceeds expectations in almost every possible way and should be a must see for any fan of the originals. If you’re already even the slightest bit interested in this one it should have no trouble proving well worth two hours of your time and the price of a rental, but don’t be too shocked if you also find yourself wanting to purchase a copy shortly thereafter.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.40:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks wonderful as a whole and delivers a clean, beautifully colored and richly detailed presentation from start to finish with no issues or faults arising throughout. It holds up impressively even during the various darkly lit, fast moving and heavily populated sequences and never allows anything occurring onscreen to become negatively affected or problematic along the way. Overall, this is a fantastic high definition video presentation that delivers splendidly and should thrill fans and first time viewers alike.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack is quite the treat itself and provides a crisp, aggressive and consistently immersive audio presentation throughout. It repeatedly takes advantage of all five available channels at its disposal in order to send music, along with vehicles, ghosts and action effects, plus a great deal more regularly whipping throughout the various speakers, while always making certain that any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously remain clean and fully audible. Overall, this is a wonderful 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that contributes plenty of extra fun and excitement to the viewing experience while sounding great every step of the way.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ includes a nice helping of bonus content that fans of the new film and overall franchise should appreciate. Included on the release is one ‘Deleted Scene’ from the movie (running approximately 1 minute in length), along with various Behind the Scenes Featurettes that explore bringing the new film to life while honoring the classics it follows, featuring interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more. The included Featurettes are ‘Summoning the Spirit: Making Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ (running approximately 20 minutes in length), ‘The Gearhead’s Guide to Ghostbusters Gadgets’ (running approximately 6 minutes), ‘Spectral Effects: The Ghosts of Afterlife’ (approximately 6 minutes), and ‘Bringing Ecto-1 Back to Life’ (5 minutes). We are also treated to a look at all of the connections and nods to the original in ‘We Got One! Easter Eggs Revealed’ (8 minutes), as well as ‘Ghostbusters: A Look Back’ (approximately 10 minutes) and ‘A Look Ahead’ (4 minutes) which feature Ivan Reitman, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson discussing the original classics and the new film.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 9/10
Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Arrives Home on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD on February 1, 2022 & is Now Available on Digital from BRON, Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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