Who ya gonna call? Anyone who was alive in the ’80s certainly knows the answer to that question, but the kids in the first trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife are totally clueless.
The long-anticipated first trailer for Jason Reitman’s upcoming Ghostbusters movie — which, unlike the 2016 reboot, takes place in the same universe as the original two films — has finally arrived. The trailer centers on a family of three: a mom, teenage son, and pre-teen daughter, who have just moved to their late grandfather’s farmhouse in the Middle-Of-Nowhere, Oklahoma. The house contains some strange dusty old equipment, including a familiar tricked-out old Cadillac, as it’s soon revealed that said-grandfather was none other than original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. The kids have no clue who Spengler or the Ghostbusters were, nor what they did, until the history is explained to them by their local science teacher/Ghostbuster fanboy (Paul Rudd). Apparently, “no one has seen a ghost in 30 years,” but that’s about to change as this small town is experiencing unexplained earthquakes, which undoubtedly has to do with a ghost-filled mine discovered by Spengler’s grandkids. Check it out below, and prepare to get goosebumps when Bill Murray’s “karma” speech from the original film kicks in.
The first thing you’ll notice about this trailer is that it feels less like Ghostbusters than it does Stranger Things. From the kids solving mysteries (with the help of an open-minded science teacher) to the ’80s nostalgia (even though this is set in the present-day) to star Finn Wolfhard, it’s hard not to see the connections to the popular Netflix series. There’s also a distinct lack of jokes, which is somewhat confusing considering that the original Ghostbusters is one of the funniest movies ever made. However, there are a number of sly Ghostbusters connections that remind you of what this movie is actually about. The ghost mine belongs to “Shandor Mining Company,” a reference to Ivo Shandor, notorious follower of Gozer and the architect of Dana Barrett’s building from the original film. There’s also a brief glimpse of what appears to be the leg of a Terror Dog, as well as a shot of Egon’s collection of “molds, spores, and fungus.” This all adds up to a story that will be very connected to the 1984 film, right down to the smallest detail. Those minute details make up for the trailer’s notable exclusion of any of the original Ghostbusters stars, but rest assured, they’ll appear in the film. Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts are all confirmed to be reprising their roles from the first two films.
Overall, this new take on Ghostbusters looks interesting. It has clear connections to the original films and treats them as canon, but seems tonally and structurally like a completely different type of movie. How that combination ends up working out is anyone’s guess, but we have to admit, we’re pretty excited to find out.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife will cross its streams in theaters on July 10, 2020.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures
