The last time I went to my local public library, I took out Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on DVD. Then I watched those movies for the first time and - although I have yet to return them - for the second and third time! That's unusual for me. I wouldn't have watched them even twice - let alone three times - in such rapid succession if I hadn't really liked them. Not only that, I watched all the bonus materials in both of those DVDs, all three times. That's not only unusual for me; it's unprecedented!
Partly it's nostalgia for the original movie, but it's more than that. A lot of stuff happens in those movies that's hard to spot. Even during my third viewing, I had to keep rewinding and rewatching certain scenes to figure out what was going on. The shocking part is that I WANTED to.
I remember watching the first Ghostbusters movie many times back in the 1980s. One of the many points that impressed me about it was that the protagonists were not exaggeratedly talented. Oh, Egon was a genius, and Ray was smart. But I mean that when the Ghostbusters ran around with their proton packs and chased ghosts, it looked like anyone could have done it, and, with a little practice, gotten good at it. And because the concept of the movie appeals to young children - even if much of the movie has adult humor - I expect many children could fantasize about being Ghostbusters. I remember an issue of The Electric Company Magazine with a "Junior Ghostbusters in School" story. And I got - and still have - the Ghostbusters International role-playing game where you could create your own characters who establish their own Ghostbusters franchise in... well, any location you would like.
But never did I dream of a FAMILY of Ghostbusters. The idea never occurred to me. A mother... and her children? And her future husband? Whoa! It makes me think of the Incredibles.
I'd find that aspect alone to be fascinating. But there's STILL more. It's not just ANY family. It's Egon's progeny! I always regarded Egon as my favorite - and the most important - Ghostbuster, and after Harold Ramis' death, I thought no sequel could continue the saga to my satisfaction. But Afterlife gave us a story in which Egon lived on in spirit... in more ways than one! Most especially, Phoebe strikes me as the perfect successor. This wasn't just an obscure story in a magazine; a mainstream movie gave us a 12-year-old Ghostbuster as a main character! And because those two movies gave Egon's descendants way more focus and screen time than it gave Ray, Peter, and Winston, I'd say that Spengler was the real focus, despite his being dead.
Egon, but not forgotten.
And of course, Afterlife and Frozen Empire made me laugh frequently. Yeah, they beat the heck out of Ghostbusters 2. I felt that Ghostbusters 2 had only one funny moment, or maybe two, and I found its premise unconvincing and unsatisfying.
There are many other fascinating aspects of Afterlife and Frozen Empire I would discuss... but I'm afraid that too long a post might make readers lose interest.
Okay, after I enjoyed Afterlife and Frozen Empire so much more than people had led me to expect, I wondered if I should give even Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (from 2016) a chance. So I just watched it on Netflix, and felt surprise at how much I liked it. I found a few scenes to be funny, and a LOT of scenes to be way cool! It may pale in comparison to Afterlife and Frozen Empire, and I have no plans to see it a second time in the immediate future, but I might someday. And I think it beats the heck out of Ghostbusters 2.
...I have no plans to see it a second time in the immediate future...
Well, I was planning to to go back to The Walking Dead, but the next time I folded laundry (which is when I watch videos) I changed my mind and chose instead to watch Ghostbusters: Answer the Call a second time. I'll admit that a lot of the BEGINNING was lame... but man! That movie had the coolest "Ghostpocalypse" I've ever seen! I challenge you to tell me about a better one.
I liked many things about it.
And how about when Erin tries to warn the mayor about the disaster about to strike New York, and she hears this rumbling? "No. It's happening." And it's a dumpster! Hah!
And how about when that ghost pushes Bill Murray's character out the window, killing him? I totally didn't expect that! One gripe I had with the original Ghostbusters movie was that Gozer was supposed to destroy the world, yet no one got hurt. When she said "Then die!" and fired electricity at the ghostbusters, they should have gotten killed. Seeing Bill Murray's character (albeit a different one) finally get pushed and fall to his death seemed so right.
And how about that whole bit when the heroes study the villain's apparatus? "You know, it's strange. His technology is not that different from ours. It's basically... like... we're using the same science." And it turns out that it was because he had read their book! The idea just... works! I mean... when they work at the college, they should publish some of their findings. Why wouldn't bad guys make use of that? It seems so right.
And that movie did other things that should have happened. Doesn't it makes sense that a possessed person should try to KILL a Ghostbuster, rather than have sex with one?
And really, doesn't it seem right that the Ghostbusters logo should become the menace? Maybe that's the form Ray should have chosen in the first movie.
Yeah, Answer the Call had a lot of lame stuff, but it had some cool stuff too.