New Ghostbusters movie in OG movie universe Jason Reitman directing 2020

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Yeah, I watched the movie last night and it was surprisingly dead. It was just an older dude and three friends who seem like huge fans of the originals because they wouldn't pipe down every time the movie calls back to the older films. But as someone whose not a huge Ghostbusters fan, it did make me happy to see that they were being catered to.

I actually enjoyed this movie. All the characters are legit amusing despite being assholes such as Phoebe's mother. Almost all the new characters are cynics but in a humorous way. Trevor took me a while to get used to but he wasn't obnoxious or anything, just kinda plain. The banter between Phoebe and Podcast is so good and Pheobe's attempts at deadpan jokes are more clever than the terrible attempts at humor the 2016 film had. Yes I know that isn't hard to do but when you watch the movie, you realize how just one joke from her beats out everything from the film before it.

Spoiler:

Also, seeing the old Ghostbusters return gave me goosebump. It definitely got the group of three screaming.Good thing I was sitting far away from them. Though I think they likely requested to sit away from others since they knew how they'd get. I can't blame them. It's part of the moviegoing experience after all.

[Leo656]

We were in the middle of the third row, the only ones at all in the first three rows. I didn't get a head count but the upper section behind us had a good number of people and everybody was having a great time.

And yeah, Phoebe's "lame" jokes all landed hard. I like that kind of dry humor anyway. The "obtuse" joke might have gotten the biggest laugh of all, especially with that wink. That's the thing about being "funny" that the reboot just didn't get, you don't HAVE to completely overdo it to the point it stops being funny. This movie is not a "comedy" but it IS very funny in a lot of places, and a lot of that comes simply from it being so much more natural.

Everything in the movie felt very real and earned, from the jokes to the action scenes. Like when Phoebe is losing her sh*t in the police station, you could just feel that everyone in the theater was feeling it. The emotional beats hit super-hard. It's got tons and tons of heart.

We're gonna see it again, just not sure when. Trying to work out schedules with an old friend of mine. But either way, we'll be seeing this in the theater again for sure.

It kinda reminded me of Cobra Kai, in a way, in how it's not the follow-up I wanted but I am so, so happy with what it is anyway. Same heart, same feeling of triumph.

When something is made by people who actually CARE, you can tell the difference.

[Jester]

My wife and I just got back from our 10:15 showing. I was on Facebook and saw a post by cartoonist Aaron about how today (November 21st) is Harold Ramis' birthday. I'm not a hundred percent sure of this but my wife and I both agree that we probably reached the climax at about midnight. Seems kind of appropriate really.
Angela and I both really liked it. She thinks that it's probably better than the second. I know that I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I laughed and I even cried I think a couple different times. They really do Harold Ramis Justice. Even though he's been gone for I don't know how many years.

Spoiler:

I'm also not a hundred percent sure if the second movie is even cannon in this. The Ecto 1 is very much the one from the first movie. The only major thing from 2 is Ray's occult books. I wish that mom had more to do ( did we even get her first name?). I think the kids were pretty well-handled though I guess Finn could have had more to do. All in all I'd say it's worth the price of admission. I also think I see what Winters means about Egon not winding up trapped. It's less a Minefield of traps and more a daisy chain of multiple traps used to increase their strength. It practically pulls all of the ghosts that are attacking the city to Egon's place. Unless he figured out some way to keep himself from being pulled into the traps he should have been.

[ranger_scout]

After seeing this movie, it seems clear to me that if Sony thought that if Disney could do sequels like The Force Awakens and Mary Poppins Returns that have similar plots to the original film then they can do the same as well. I don’t mind that very much, but I can see why some people want something new in a sequel. I thought the film looked and sounded fantastic in IMAX. Plus, Paul Rudd was simply fantastic. The young cast was also very good as well. Overall I’m glad I saw it and I needed some nostalgia and laughs during these times.

[oldmanwinters]

Here's the "How Dare They?" opinion piece:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...172419815.html

Originally Posted by Jester

Spoiler:

I'm also not a hundred percent sure if the second movie is even cannon in this. The Ecto 1 is very much the one from the first movie. The only major thing from 2 is Ray's occult books. I wish that mom had more to do ( did we even get her first name?). I think the kids were pretty well-handled though I guess Finn could have had more to do. All in all I'd say it's worth the price of admission. I also think I see what Winters means about Egon not winding up trapped. It's less a Minefield of traps and more a daisy chain of multiple traps used to increase their strength. It practically pulls all of the ghosts that are attacking the city to Egon's place. Unless he figured out some way to keep himself from being pulled into the traps he should have been.

Yeah, I wasn't sure exactly how it all worked, but that big finish really made it looked like a giant ectoplasmic vacuum cleaner.

[IMJ]

I'd like to politely disagree with the writer in your article link there, but the truth is that my faith in those people is completely evaporated. My guess? Flailing internet writer sat around for an hour and came up with the best tactic to create outrage over something good, both for the clicks as well as the phony-moral-authority.

Those people are completely full of **** as par the course for the last half decade now or more and too many of them follow in the footsteps of guys like Scott Mendhelson, the emperor of movie-reviewer douchebags.

[Jester]

Spoiler:

I scanned the credits looking to see if they credited the body double for Ramis but didn't see one listed. (Maybe "Ghost Farmer") I can kind of understand the fear or questions of morality and the like, but if the got the Ramis family's ok, I don't have a problem with it. Heck i think ghost Egon was probably slimmer than Harold was right before he passed..

On another note I usually agree with RLM but this time I think they are being a bit too cynical:

[Andrew NDB]

Spoiler:

I didn't even see Olivia Wilde credited as Gozer -- and that IS her. So who knows on Egon. Could be they don't want anyone to know as it would detract from the "magic" of it.

Hmmh... I think I'm going to be mad at that RLM. I'll wait on watching it.

So I did see the movie properly tonight, Sunday. Theater only had 9 other people in it, so it wasn't quite... that kind of experience. Greatly enjoyed it. There are things I could nitpick, but I won't. I got everything I wanted to see and it had tons of heart and was well played.

I'll say just three things:

Spoiler:

1. So Venkman clearly has the wedding ring and is still cool enough with Dana that he's letting her electric shock him in 2021. What about her? Is there a wedding ring on her finger? I couldn't tell. I'm ASSUMING they're married but I'm not sure.

2. While I love BOTH of the after the end credits scenes, especially the last one... I hate to be "that guy" but... it does strike me that both of the scenes appear to largely exist to address/correct things that could be SJW/liberally considered "problematic" in 2021 with the old movies. Not a complaint! Those are both great scenes. I maybe wonder the motive there, but I love what they gave us.

3. A bunch of those BAD spoilers turned out to be fake. Yay! That Paul Rudd was a Shandor descendant, that the entire town was "in on it" and part of the Cult of Gozer (I was KIND OF OK with this one, if played right), that there'd be more than two Dogs now, and I think that Dana suited up at the end (I was actually OK with that one, too).

Originally Posted by Jester

Spoiler:

I'm also not a hundred percent sure if the second movie is even cannon in this. The Ecto 1 is very much the one from the first movie.

Spoiler:

Of course it's the Ecto-1 from the first movie. That has nothing to do with the Ecto-1A from the second movie. Egon probably took the original to the farm because his partners/friends would miss it less. And freshly rewatching GB2 last night, I noticed that early on when you do see the original Ecto-1 going to the birthday party, it's smoking and running very poorly. So of course the Ecto-1A is a different car.

Granted, this doesn't explain what happened to the Ecto-1A. Presumably that continued on at Ghostbusters HQ until it didn't. The end with the OG Ghostbusters would have been a TEENCY bit more poppy for me if they rolled up in the current/most recent incarnation of the Ecto-1A.

[Anarchistguy]

To those who wonder if GB II is still canon. Here you go:

Spoiler:

[Andrew NDB]

"Nobody knows Ghostbusters II outside of Viggo the Carpathian and the Ghostbusters II logo," lol. Savage.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

"Nobody knows Ghostbusters II outside of Viggo the Carpathian and the Ghostbusters II logo," lol. Savage.

Yeah that was crazy.

I mean.... there were a lot of other great markers of moments in that movie!

The river of slime
The Statue of Liberty
Ray gets possessed
The 2 court room ghosts

All of that was terrific! If I had to guess, I'd say that whatever narrative is out there that diminishes Ghostbusters II is most widely born of the fact that the story isn't any kind of sequel-narrative to Gozer and instead is "another adventure" story. That lack of through-line always, inexplicably confuses the hell out of some people's expectations.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

"Nobody knows Ghostbusters II outside of Viggo the Carpathian and the Ghostbusters II logo," lol. Savage.

I'm a fan of the slime-packs. I mean... if you hit stuff with a traditional proton pack, it's destroyed, but slime-packs have a lot more potential to have fun with. SO glad they brought them back for usage in the official video game.

(Consequently, the slime mechanic is what will always make GBII NES USA fun for me.)

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Hmmh... I think I'm going to be mad at that RLM. I'll wait on watching it.

I've been waiting for them to become out-of-touch and old hat for years.

They talked s*it about First Contact. They deserve all the burns.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

They talked s*it about First Contact. They deserve all the burns.

I minded much more when they were singing the praises of Star Trek 2009 and so on. First Contact, I was watching those Plinkett reviews and I'd find things like, "Oh, damn. They're right! That is pretty dodgy!" I just have a feeling the RLM review of Afterlife is going to be a lot of, "Hah! We called it, that there would be a Spengler ghost! How creatively bankrupt and predictable!" and not talking about it as actual fans.

Also, spoilery question:

Spoiler:

Why is the firehouse a dusty abandoned building in the after-the-end credits with Winston when Ray clearly said it was a Starbucks during the phone call?

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Also, spoilery question:

Spoiler:

Why is the firehouse a dusty abandoned building in the after-the-end credits with Winston when Ray clearly said it was a Starbucks during the phone call?

Eh, poor Ray probably couldn't even bring himself to drive/walk past the original building, so

Spoiler:

he probably just heard about the coffee house bit once and never investigated it for himself.

I was more amazed by the fact that:

Spoiler:

The original Ghostbusters hotline number was still supported even after forwarding the call-service into a completely different building/business. All this despite the fact the he didn't want to talk about his time with the GBs (until he actually gets going about his time with the GBs) and that he has felt betrayed by his friend and co-founder for about two decades. Can you imagine how many prank calls he must get at his bookstore with all those original ads being preserved on YouTube in their universe? Maybe the call-forwarding service was a condition Winston had for funding the bookstore?

[Andrew NDB]

Something else of note: Ghostbusters Afterlife has exactly HALF the budget of the 2016 remake at 75 million.

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

I was more amazed by the fact that:

Spoiler:

The original Ghostbusters hotline number was still supported even after forwarding the call-service into a completely different building/business. All this despite the fact the he didn't want to talk about his time with the GBs (until he actually gets going about his time with the GBs) and that he has felt betrayed by his friend and co-founder for about two decades. Can you imagine how many prank calls he must get at his bookstore with all those original ads being preserved on YouTube in their universe? Maybe the call-forwarding service was a condition Winston had for funding the bookstore?

My instinct was "Wait a minute, this doesn't make sense!" But I guess it kind of makes sense, if you think about it. Between GB1 and GB2 all the guys were doing was birthday party gigs and stuff like that, so it'd make sense that Ray would route the firehouse # to his bookstore since no one would be living at the firehouse anymore. That way he can still run his bookstore but still take bookings for Ghostbusters appearances like the birthday party type gigs. After that, he just never switched it back.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Something else of note: Ghostbusters Afterlife has exactly HALF the budget of the 2016 remake at 75 million.

Now THAT'S gotta be embarrassing... for certain "young, funny, talented" people.

Sony should have known that $75 Million was an absurdly high budget for a fairly risky reboot 25+ years after the last theatrical installment.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Sony should have known that $75 Million was an absurdly high budget for a fairly risky reboot 25+ years after the last theatrical installment.

No no, Afterlife has the 75 million dollar budget. GB2016 had a 150 million budget.

Originally Posted by IMJ

All of that was terrific! If I had to guess, I'd say that whatever narrative is out there that diminishes Ghostbusters II is most widely born of the fact that the story isn't any kind of sequel-narrative to Gozer and instead is "another adventure" story. That lack of through-line always, inexplicably confuses the hell out of some people's expectations.

Probably. I think fans also didn't like Peter and Dana not living happily ever after, after GB1, and the very different music score. Also, the movie didn't give Peter enough opportunities to be sleazy, which was a big selling point in the first one.

[oldmanwinters]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

No no, Afterlife has the 75 million dollar budget. GB2016 had a 150 million budget.

Oh, dang, that thing really was a disaster. More than I had remembered, actually. At the very least, I hope some of the marketing budget went to the Hi-C Ecto Cooler and Twinkee tie-ins.

[Leo656]

Thanks for posting the news about "Ghostbusters II is still canon", I read about it yesterday but I was too busy to come post about it. Yay! Although I missed the toaster in the lab or wherever it was, I'll have to look for it again. It's great that Reitman is like "We want to save some stuff for future movies", very encouraging.

Glad to hear people are enjoying it, despite stupid "wokester" critics trying to tank it because they're pissy that the reboot got sh*t on. Tough break, "critics", REAL fans see through your horseshit. 60% Critics Score vs. 95% Audience Score says it all. You lose, "Chickbusters" fans. Turns out people really DID want a love letter to the franchise and not a giant middle finger that takes the piss out of it. Who would've imagined, huh?

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

Here's the "How Dare They?" opinion piece:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/...172419815.html

I read that sh*t yesterday, too. Gross. I promise you this same chick probably jizzed in her sweatpants when Luke Skywalker showed up on "The Mandalorian", though.

Where's some nitwit with the "Let People Enjoy Things" meme when you actually NEED it? For f*ck's f*cking sake. Chickbusters fans will stop at NOTHING to try and make people feel bad for genuinely liking this movie. It's sick.