As a lifelong fan of Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis in the two original Ghostbusters films), I am happy to report that I am, in fact, very excited for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. I loved the 2016’s Ghostbusters just as much as I loved Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters 2 because I love this world where a group of people hunt ghosts together.
What I love about the trailers for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, though, is that it’s giving us a look into Egon Spengler’s family, and every single time I think about it, I want to start crying—not exactly a go-to mood for a Ghostbusters movie, but it’s Egon! Who doesn’t want to spend their time crying over Egon Spengler and how amazing he is?
In the latest trailer, we get a focus on the kids and see how Phoebe (McKenna Grace) and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) deal with moving away from their home to a house that Egon had filled with relics from his time as a Ghostbuster, and yes, I did get emotional seeing little McKenna Grace with glasses on and looking like the granddaughter of Harold Ramis. Oh wait, did I forget to mention that ANNIE POTTS is in this trailer as Janine Melnitz?!
Is this just a shoutout to the nostalgia these movies hold? Yes, absolutely, and it helps that Jason Reitman (son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original films) is behind this one. But what I love about this trailer is that it isn’t completely reliant on the adults. Having Paul Rudd in your film is a big deal, but this trailer doesn’t really use that to drive the story. Instead, it gives us a look into Phoebe and Trevor, which I’m into, if all these franchises want to pass the torch off to the next generation to keep them alive. It just means more content for me and my nerdy self.
Phoebe, while looking the most like Egon, seems like the kind of character who needs this journey to understand herself. She’s young, she’s in a new place, and she doesn’t really understand herself, but finding her grandfather’s Ghostbusters car and his equipment? That seems to get her on the right track, and this trailer is the one that has me the most excited about Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
I know people are tired of going back to movies we loved as kids. I know they want the reboots and the remakes to end. But this trailer (like every bit of Ghostbusters content before it) reminded me why I love this franchise and these characters. So, I can’t wait to see what Ghostbusters: Afterlife has in store for me, and I can’t wait to cry over all the Egon Spengler content as is my lot in life.
(image: Sony Pictures)
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