The trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife has arrived and it actually looks like this long-awaited sequel (arriving 36 years after the original, and 31 after Ghostbusters II) will be well worth the wait. While the 2016 Paul Feig directed reboot more-or-less attempted to just do a distaff version of the original film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is set within continuity, but also appears to be doing something vastly different with the property.
Set in the modern-day, Ghostbusters: Afterlife trades in the Manhattan locale of the original film for a rural country town called Summerville. It will focus on a family composed of single mother Callie (Carrie Coon), her daughter Phoebe (McKenna Grace), and her son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), that moves out to a farm that they inherit from an ambiguous family member (more on that later). From here, they uncover a treasure trove of equipment and memorabilia taken from the original film, and for a fateful reason. It appears that once again, a huge supernatural threat is about to arise, and now a new generation has to don those iconic jumpsuits to face it.
While Afterlife will undoubtedly be a supernatural-tinged comedy just like its predecessor, it also appears to carry more of a sense of whimsy and child-like wonderment to it, not unlike Netflix's Stranger Things, and not solely because they both feature Finn Wolfhard. It's clear all parties involved really wanted to show audiences what they're trying to do with this Ghostbusters sequel with this first full-length trailer -- and it really pays off!
Last week saw the release of a Vanity Fair article that dropped a plethora of tidbits about what we might expect from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and the release of this trailer confirms several speculations. While director Jason Reitman (taking the helm from his father Ivan, who directed the first two films in the franchise) revealed that the movie's central family would have a relationship to a member of the original Ghostbusters team, he was mum to say whom.
This trailer, however, basically confirms beliefs that the family would be the offspring of Egon Spengler (played by the original film's co-writer, the late Harold Ramis), as Sophie wears glasses that are very similar to his trademark spectacles, and we also see a shot of an iconic Ghostbusters jumpsuit that reads "SPENGLER."
Reitman had also revealed that this movie would have a direct connection to the Manhattan Crossrip event that served as the 1984 film's memorable climax. This trailer makes this a bit more lucid, too, as we can see that there appears to be a spectral presence beneath the town of Summerville, Oklahoma. We see a familiar green stream of energy erupt from a mine shaft, suggesting perhaps there was an aftermath effect of the Manhattan Crossrip that made its way to this location. There's even a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance of Slimer, the series' most iconic ghost.
The trailer also does a good job of establishing what the character dynamics will be like in the film. A new character to the franchise, school teacher Mr. Grooberson (Paul Rudd), will likely serve as a mentor to Trevor and Phoebe, and not just because of his profession. Having been alive during the events of the first movie, Grooberson remembers The Manhattan Crossrip. Mr. Grooberson is also likely aware of the possibility of a spectral presence in Summerville, explicated in a scene where he says it's the only explanation for why they received daily underground ruptures but are not near any tectonic plates. Of even more interest is that he reveals that there haven't been any ghost sightings in over 30 years (supposedly this means the 2009 Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which was set in 1991, isn't canon either).
It's an all-around satisfying trailer that really succeeds at showing what type of tone the studio is going for with this new movie. While the marketing for Ghostbusters: Afterlife could have merely nudged and teased viewers, it instead spills much of the story. To be fair, there's still plenty we don't know about the film's plot, as we know that the surviving stars of the original movie (with the exception of Rick Moranis) will be reprising their roles here, but we don't know how they will tie into the narrative and in what capacity. Still, this is probably a good thing, as it's clear that this entry in the revered franchise wants to adhere to its legacy while also allowing for a more creative respite.
We'll see come July 2020 if Ghostbusters: Aftermath can truly live up the original, which has remained a venerable horror-comedy classic for 35-years now, but it's safe to say that it's making the right choices in terms of smart casting, a nostalgic tone, and an aesthetic that feels both contemporary yet engagingly retrospective at the same time.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife is directed by Jason Reitman, who also co-wrote the film with Gil Kenan. Starring Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd and Mckenna Grace, the film arrives in theaters July 10, 2020.