Ghostbusters: Afterlife ★★★★

Jason Reitman

Starring McKenna Grace, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Logan Kim

It's safe to say that nostalgia is still in full swing throughout most popular media these days. Mortal Kombat and Sonic have movies, Take That are probably on tour, and even ABBA are asking us to thank them for their music once again. It's only right then that we get a chance to visit the world of ghost traps and possessed humans, marshmallow men and proton guns one more time.

On the surface, it would be easy to pass this off as pure nostalgia, but it is much more than that. Afterlife is a quality Ghostbusters story in itself and will hold its now against the originals for years to come.

Drawing on the popularity of Stranger Things, this time out we get a younger cast taking the lead. They each provide a new energy to the franchise and some great comedy at the same time. The comedy sidekick Podcast (Logan Kim) is a breath of fresh air as well as a trip down buddy-comedy memory lane all in one.

He's brilliant and plays his character with a confidence ahead of his years. In fact, all of the young actors are great with McKenna Grace, really holding this film on her shoulders with ease as protagonist Phoebe. Paul Rudd too is hilarious! Why is he so great all of the time?

Director Jason Reitman is the son of Ivan Reitman, the director if the original movies. It's quite a brave undertaking but he has definitely furthered his father's legacy rather than sully it. The only time it dipped slightly too far in to nostalgia for me was with the marshmallow scene, but I'm sure plenty of people will love that moment regardless.

A great tribute to the previous cast that we've lost over the years, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has something for everyone and holds its own. I could probably handle a couple of sequels too, could you?

Ghostbusters: Afterlife available in cinemas now