Just when you thought there couldn't be any more strange things in the neighborhood, along comes yet another official trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife!
The latest trailer which premiered on October 18 comes as the fifth trailer for the upcoming film, with two of them being more teaser-like (there was one showing the Ecto-1 beneath a tarp in an old barn, and the second featuring the now-iconic MiniPufts wreaking havoc in a Walmart). The two previous main trailers were released a year apart (or thereabouts) and were both met with a positive reception. While Afterlife has already been released at a private screening in New York and reviews are already all over the Internet, the film is yet to officially be released in theaters to the public - November 19 has that honor.
Now, the fifth trailer has arrived, and to be honest, we weren't really expecting to see another one after the last trailer reveals quite a bit! Recent weeks have also seen the unveiling of new images, posters, interviews, and toys. Nevertheless, even if we're doing our best to avoid film reviews, we can't quite ignore a new trailer - although trailers tend to be pretty spoilery themselves nowadays. So, is the new trailer any good, and does it show way too much? We'll let you be the judge of that. Check it out below (unless you're afraid of ghosts, of course - because there are plenty):
We first see the Ecto-1 tearing through a cornfield, before Phoebe asks her mother "what kind of scientist" her grandfather was. We then cut to a figure in the dark holding a ghost trap, who we can assume is Egon Spengler's character in a flashback (though we could be wrong). Many scenes shown in previous trailers follow, such as something emerging from a mineshaft, but we learn from Phoebe that it "isn't a mine" - it's a "gateway". We get shots of the Gozer statue we saw in the previous trailer, as well as the statue of a 'Sentinal Terror Dog' (a Terror Dog that appears to be standing upright, like a human).
We then see ghost 'Muncher' trying to devour a fire hydrant, before the new team gives chase in the Ecto-1, using their gunner-seat and RV trap to help them. Logan Kim's Podcast says "I love this car!" - a blatant callback to Ernie Hudson's unscripted "I love this town!" at the end of the original movie. We finally get some Ghostbusters music too (although this rendition sounds like the one used in the reboot trailer - where's Ray Park Jr.?!). Phoebe tells her fellow Ghostbusters that they need to "finish what our grandfather started" - so it's clear Egon knew that something strange was going down.
Speaking of that awesome RV trap, we see it get chased by a Terror Dog, who then turns his attention to Paul Rudd in the Walmart after his character Mr. Grooberson discovers Mini Pufts up to no good. We also get a shot of Carrie Coon's Callie dressed like the Gatekeeper! And at the end of the trailer, we see the rusty old Ecto-1 sailing through the air in a cornfield. The new trailer is definitely a lot more action-packed than the last one, with a few nice little reveals (most of which you probably could have predicted given that the plot quite clearly revolves around Gozer - the Sumerian demigod from the original movie).
Having said all that, there is something a little 'off' about this new trailer - perhaps the filmmakers ought to have stopped with the last one, which was hugely impressive and convinced us all the new film will be better than the reboot (of this, though, we're still confident). Perhaps it's the fact it uses a variation of the iconic Ghostbusters theme (oddly enough, it actually sounds like the same one from the Ghostbusters reboot trailer), and it looks far more light-hearted than we might have anticipated. The good news is it doesn't reveal too much we didn't know already.
The upcoming sequel will see the return of original characters and familiar villains, while newcomers include Grace McKenna, Finn Wolfhard, Logan Kim, Celeste O'Conner, Carrie Coon, and Paul Rudd. The story will revolve around supernatural occurrences in Summerville, Oklahoma - where the late Egon Spengler's family has relocated. But it turns out he hasn't just left them a spooky old farmhouse - all of the Ghostbusters equipment has been hidden away in the basement, waiting to be uncovered by a new generation so that they can protect their new neighborhood from something very strange indeed.
Director Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman, who directed the original two films, has promised that 'family' will be an important theme and focus in the new film - which is plain to see from all the trailers we've seen so far. Perhaps, though, the filmmakers need to take a bit of a backseat and let the end product speak for itself. While it's likely that the pandemic has caused film studios to 'over-market' their films, as is plain to see with the number of movie trailers, posters, interviews, and early screenings, fans won't appreciate having films ruined for them ahead of their release.
After plenty of delays due to the ongoing pandemic, Ghostbusters: Afterlife finally releases in theaters worldwide on November 19, 2021.
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Fantasy & Science Fiction