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 left behind. As the family attempts to settle in the dilapidated house, unexpected secrets hidden in plain sight come to light with mysterious equipment and a strange vehicle rotting in the barn that seems to relate to the long-forgotten Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man Incident in 1980s New York City. However, there hasn't been a single ghost sighting in 30 years. Is history repeating itself? Following on from the events of the iconic movies: Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), this adventure continues the Ghostbusters franchise and manages to bring about a worthy instalment. Not only does this movie pack in so much phenomenal fan service and beautiful effects, but it also has a great story that is thoroughly engaging and has some interesting characters. I have adored the Ghostbusters films for many years, so when this one was released, I was so keen, especially for all the nostalgia it promised, which was definitely plenty and enough to make a grown man cry. The amount of detail and thought process behind this film is nothing short of fantastic. It's incredible how they managed to recreate some of the creatures and monsters from the first film, such as the Terror Dogs, which look so realistic. I seriously appreciated it because nowadays most productions tend to over-rely on CGI to the point where it makes me long for the good old days of filmmaking. These effects, are used just enough whilst focusing on using puppets with mechanical features in some scenes and it makes a whole world of difference. They even managed to perfectly mirror the Dog's movement and run style like the original. I also loved all the new additions they added from ghosts to characters. I found the main characters: Phoebe, Podcast and Trevor, to be seriously enjoyable. They had some great chemistry together and I liked all their scenes involving them uncovering the Ghostbuster's past, especially with fanatic Grooberson there. I think that, without a doubt, the coolest inclusion was the upgraded Ecto-1, which is found by Egon's Grandchildren. It now has a gunner seat, which opens up on the side allowing them to catch ghosts whilst driving. It is such a cool concept that's executed perfectly. Of course, to catch the ghosts they need a ghost trap, which is no problem thanks to the remote control trap fitted with wheels so they can catch ghosts on the go. Although we don't get quite the extravagant return, we get to see many miniature Mr Stay Puft Marshmallow Man who all run amok, causing a whole manner of mischief in countless hilarious scenes. We even get the return of Gozer, who aims to finish their plan from the first film. Now I'm going into some spoiler territory here so just skip past the red if you haven't seen the film. *Spoilers* During the climax of the film we see the return of none other than the original Ghostbusters: Peter, Ray and Winston. The whole scene is filled with callbacks, comedic lines and jokes packed with shedloads of nostalgia. I especially loved the call back to when Gozer asked Ray if he was a God, to which he said no. In this film, the sequence repeats itself, but the others make sure he says yes this time. We even see the ghost of Egon join them during their final fight (seeing as the actor had sadly passed away), which made for some fantastic and emotional fan service. To top it off there are two post-credit sequences, with one of them, showing the return of Dana in another call back with Peter doing his electric shock test. Overall, this movie is a perfect example of fan service done right. Afterlife found a suitable middle ground by adding new content, keeping it fresh whilst still delivering an abundance of references for older viewers and long-term fans to enjoy, making it a perfect balance between the two. A new adventure that has a new cast but still pays respect to the source material and what came before is always a blessing and does a lot better than some other latest follow-ups to classic franchises. This long-awaited 3rd film in the franchise is a real treat and a must-see for any fans!
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