Ghostbusters: Afterlife / YMMV

Awesome Music:
- Rob Simonsen's score is a delightful neo-1980s-esque adventure soundtrack (with the added bonus of reusing Elmer Bernstein's themes from the original film).
- As are the songs "The Clapping Song" and "Baby It's You" among others.
- And, of course, the classic Ray Parker Jr. theme, which is saved for the end credits.
Broken Base: The reveal that Egon had a daughter. Some people find it an organic connection to link the new cast to the old and allow for a farewell to Harold Ramis, while other people find it an implausible cause of Remember the New Guy? and think it harms Egon's character to make him a deadbeat dad.
Catharsis Factor:
- Everybody joining forces and sealing Gozer and her cohorts all away by both zapping them and powering up the generators again is definitely satisfying and thrilling.
- Shandor getting ripped right down the middle by Gozer is a well-earned Karmic Death, especially because his fanatical devotion to it plagued the world for decades and nearly brought it to its knees twice too.
Complete Monster (includes the first film):
- Gozer the Gozerian is an "extradimensional demonic entity" who's sought the destruction of the world for centuries and proclaimed itself "Gozer the Destructor". As a means of being summoned, Gozer has its servants Zuul the Gatekeeper and Vinz Clortho the Keymaster each find a person to possess and then combine their powers to open a portal so it can come through. Gozer attempts to use its powers to kill the Ghostbusters for not being gods and then unleashed itself as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man into New York to target them again before being defeated. Thirty years later, Gozer causes the death of Dr. Egon Spengler for impeding its next attempt to unleash itself onto the world and once again has people possessed—including a teenage girl—in order to guarantee it's not only freed but properly powered too. Gozer also has ghosts freed to target Summerville however they so desire and, when welcomed by Ivo Shandor—who built the monuments to make Gozer's arrival possible—responds to the human wanting to rule beside it by effortlessly ripping him in half.
- Ivo Shandor is the founder and architect of the modern Cult of Gozer, dedicated to summoning Gozer to Earth so as to wipe out humanity. Building the materials and temples that would be used to perform ritualistic murders in Gozer's name, Shandor's "curse" led to dozens of miners flinging themselves into a "death pit" built in Gozer's honor, where hundreds of spirits slain by Shandor's cult reside. Shandor's plots result in the unleashing of various evil spirits onto unsuspecting cities to pave the way for Gozer's arrival. Shandor set up multiple backup plans to initiate should his initial summoning of Gozer fail, and in 2021, he rises from the grave in an attempt to work with Gozer in wiping out humanity and ruling over what is left of the Earth.
Critical Dissonance: The film earned lukewarm reviews from critics (62% on Rotten Tomatoes) but enjoyed near-universal support from audiences (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) — something of a reversal of the response to the 2016 Ghostbusters film. It did not go unnoticed that some of the critics that positively reviewed the Paul Feig film weren't fans of this one, and vice-versa, as they saw the Call Backs to the original film as derivative and trite and preferred something new (which audiences had the opposite opinion on). Another potential point of contention from critics is the perception that the film was Pandering to the Base (and specifically "toxic" crowds) and that it wasn't fair to the cast of the 2016 film despite that movie not succeeding financially.
Crosses the Line Twice:
- The amount of abuse that the Mini-Pufts go through would be horrifying if they weren't adorable marshmallow people who are blissfully immune to pain.
- Callie wishing Phoebe would relax and get into some trouble like an ordinary kid? Eh, normal parental wish for their nerdy introverted offspring. Gary suggesting Phoebe might take up pole dancing? Only Paul Rudd's comedic charm makes it funny. Callie remarking that she doesn't think Phoebe has the coordination for it? Amusing. Gary insisting coordination or lack of same isn't relevant? Hilarious.
Diagnosed by the Audience: Phoebe is fairly autistic coded: her quiet subdued demeanor, hyper focus on science and later on the paranormal, not quite understanding social cues, and outright stating that she displays her emotions differently in comparison to other people and that overstimulation is calming for her.
Epileptic Trees: Callie's mother is the mood slime Egon "slept with" in Ghostbusters II.^note
Fanfic Fuel: Exactly what Egon was doing during those 30 years, the still living Ghostbusters becoming honorary uncles/grandpas to Callie and her kids, Egon raising Callie instead of abandoning her, and Egon surviving the beginning of the movie or his spirit sticking around in the end are fairly popular storylines that have cropped up.
Fan Nickname: "Ghoster Things" or "Stranger Busters" due to the very heavy influence of Stranger Things for the movie.
Genius Bonus: Or possibly coincidental, but when Phoebe mentions that Gozer isn't a man or a woman, Lucky comments that it's "pretty woke for 3,000 B.C.". The Sumerian mythology has, in fact, the oldest literary references to people who can be interpreted as intersex or non-binary.
Harsher in Hindsight: At the beginning of the film, Gozer kills Egon... just as Janine predicted 35 years earlier.
Heartwarming in Hindsight: With Ivan Reitman's passing a few months after the release of Afterlife, the film gains a sense of poignancy through its premise of distant family members connecting with each other one last time on top of being a celebration of the original Ghostbusters — given that's exactly what was going on behind the scenes. Jason Reitman got a chance to go on a similar emotional journey to the protagonists that he directed. It's even more poignant when you realize that Ivan was the on-set stand-in for Egon in the last scenes of the film, since Phoebe is something of an Author Avatar for Jason.
Hilarious in Hindsight: This wasn't even the first time in 2021 that Elmer Bernstein's music had relevance; in March of the same year, a video game called Balan Wonderworld was accused of ripping off his theme song for the series. The fact that the song appeared in this film only added to the effect.
I Knew It!:
- The synopsis before it came out said it would involve the family of a deceased Ghostbuster moving into his house and finding his equipment. Most fans correctly guessed it was Egon's family due to his actor, Harold Ramis being dead.
- When Half in the Bag discussed the trailer, Jay guessed that Callie and Egon were estranged and that Egon's ghost would show up to give her closure.
Improved Second Attempt: When Sony tried to reboot the franchise with Ghostbusters (2016), the movie was torn apart by fans and bombed. Afterlife however did well better with fans, by being a Distant Sequel instead of a complete Continuity Reboot and bringing back the original cast for the finale as well as being more in the spirit and tone of the original two movies. It helped the movie was directed by Jason Reitman, the son of the original films' director, Ivan Reitman.
It's the Same, Now It Sucks!:
- The January 2021 reveal of new ghost Muncher (on, of all shows, the Spanish version of MasterChef Junior) immediately drew complaints for looking like an off-brand version of Slimer. On top of that, this was just as the film's release date was pushed back again due to the COVID-19 Pandemic dragging on.
- Some critics and even some fans have complained that the ending is really just a rehash of the ending of the first movie, complete with Gozer and the original team returning.
Just Here for Godzilla: Some fans were interested in the film only for a chance to see what remains of the original team (with the understandable absence of Harold Ramis) come together one last time and give them a sense of closure, but not particularly caring for the "new generation" of Ghostbusters, nor any sequels focusing exclusively on them.
Memetic Mutation:
- More than one internet wag's referred to the film as Ghostbusters: Stranger Things on account both of Finn Wolfhard's casting as well as that moment from Stranger Things season 2 where Mike Wheeler and his friends went trick-or-treating as the original Ghostbusters.
- "There hasn't been a ghost sighting in 30 years."^explanation
- This image of Muncher quickly gained a following on Twitter after its reveal, with its appearance frequently compared to various celebrities or Grum.
Moe: The mini Mr. Staypufts' childlike delight in all around them is genuinely quite touching.
Most Wonderful Sound: In-Universe. Winston notes that he loves the sound of the proton pack turning on. Many viewers agree.
Older Than They Think: This isn't the first time we see multiple miniature marshmallow men. This already happened The Return of Mr Stay Puft The Real Ghostbusters comic.
One-Scene Wonder: The original team, including Egon's spirit, arriving during the Final Battle to help the kids defeat Gozer.
Pandering to the Base: The movie runs on bringing back just about everything from the original movie, including some off-hand references (such as Twinkies and a Crunch bar) that only the hardcore fans would catch. In fact, those unimpressed among reviewers and audiences complained about that overreliance on nostalgia.
Squick: Callie, possessed by Zuul, asks Podcast (who is around 12) if he's the Keymaster. Considering what the Keymaster and Gatekeeper are supposed to do, it's a very good thing he isn't. Additionally, Zuul later possesses the teenage Lucky while Vinz Clortho is still possessing Mr. Grooberson (though thankfully, the ritual had been completed by that point).
Surprisingly Improved Sequel: After the divisiveness of Ghostbusters II and the highly controversial 2016 movie, fans have warmed up to this one, with some calling this the best Ghostbusters since the original and a return to form for the franchise, and some even going as far as to say this finally broke the Sequelitis curse that held onto the franchise for decades.
Tainted by the Preview: The first trailer had a very melancholic feel with a touch of coming-of-age drama, which worried people because the Ghostbusters franchise is regarded as being a comedic touchstone. These fears were assuaged as more trailers and teasers were released, showcasing more humor, and the release of the film itself, which was packed with plenty of laughs.
They Copied It, So It Sucks!: While the trailer won over many, some viewers were worried that the movie might be trying to emulate Stranger Things a bit too much, with the casting of Finn Wolfhard and the trailer's focus on drama, when the original film is remembered as a beloved comedy classic just as much as it is a high-concept genre movie, if not more so. While the "Mini-Pufts" clip did show off some of the film's humor, the second trailer doubled down on marketing the film as a Spielbergian throwback, renewing the criticisms and giving the impression Afterlife was going too far to distance itself from the broad comedy of the reboot (by that same token, trailers for the 1984 original also didn't put much focus on comedy, since the movie's dry humor mostly worked only in its proper context). Ultimately, the final film maintained the Stranger Things-esque feel of the trailers, with the comedy being much lower-key than the other films until the original cast returns. RedLetterMedia took the film to task for borrowing almost everything from the original movie except for the dryly comedic tone (though the snarkier humor present is much closer in spirit to the original than was the desperately frantic, in-your-face clowning of the 2016 reboot).
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
- Ivo Shandor (played by J. K. Simmons) is reduced to a Big Bad Wannabe, who is seen briefly inside a coffin, waking up after Gozer awakens — and promptly gets torn in half after he attempts to ally with it. He could have been the Big Bad like in Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
- Lucky is set up as a member of the new generation of Ghostbusters, but barely gets to do anything in the movie, not joining the others until the final third and getting quickly taken out and possessed during the climax.
They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
- The reveal and arrival of the original team (Ray, Peter and Winston) is something that only occurs in the last ten minutes of the film, given next-to-no foreshadowing (beyond a conversation between Phoebe and Ray where he catches on that the kids are in Summerville and might be in danger) and their absence is explained by having Ray tell Phoebe in an Expodump that Egon abandoned the Ghostbusters ten years after starting the business, even taking most of their equipment with him, to boot, and spent the next twenty-plus years without talking to his friends (save for a conversation where Ray got so mad he functionally abandoned him), daughter and grandchildren. Even with the ending reveal that Egon only did this to protect his family from Gozer, his spirit form barely has any interaction with any member of the original team or his family before disappearing. It's not hard to see why some fans wish that the subject matter would have been explored in greater detail or more information was given on what happened in-between the films.
- The fact that Ivo Shandor plays a prominent role in this film could have been a good opportunity to reference the events of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, where he was the Big Bad. It could have even been the reason for why Gozer killed him.
Ugly Cute: Muncher.
Viewer Gender Confusion: Phoebe is sometimes mistaken as a boy due to her rather androgynous appearance, Boyish Short Hair and her similar appearance to her grandfather the male Egon Spengler.
Visual Effects of Awesome:
- All the shots of Egon in the film are completely digital. Jason Reitman indicated that it took a lot to get the effect just right.^note Eventually a short video was released detailing a portion of the work.
- The mini Mr Staypufts are both perfectly expressive and have a convincingly gooey texture.
- The Terror Dogs look very tangible — in several shots, are practical effects based on the originals from the 1984 film.
- The underground temple.
- The film's recreation of the original's hardware and phenomena is very nicely done.
Win Back the Crowd: After the extremely divisive Ghostbusters (2016) and the controversy surrounding it, the film has successfully managed to win back many fans and breathe new life into the franchise.

YMMV / Ghostbusters: Afterlife

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