In an era where there are so many unoriginal ideas being embraced by major audiences, it’s refreshing to see something like GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE that takes a chance on a film series with a somewhat questionable sequel (in 1989) and an even more baffling remake-of-sorts (in 2016) and creates almost a direct sequel to the very first 1984 picture that has a lot of the charm and fun, but with a more modern spin.
I already wrote up a full review of this movie when it was released last fall and watching it again, I was still impressed by the setup of a family discovering the family connection to one of the key original characters and how a ghost story could come out of a totally new concept. It’s thanks to its director Jason Reitman working alongside his dad Ivan as one of the key producers that really elevates this movie, in addition to a terrific cast led by young McKenna Grace as Phoebe, a 12 year old who totally crushes the previous two movies and girl-powers her way to stardom.
About the 4k Release:
I saw AFTERLIFE a few times theatrically; once in a so-called “Enhanced for IMAX” version and twice in a more traditional widescreen presentation in my home town. There was no real added value to the IMAX presentation as there were no sequences filmed in that format, nor any times like the distracting 2016 3D version where images would “break out” of the frame. That said, it’s still a very well shot picture by Reitman’s usual cinematographer Eric Steelberg.
This full on 4k, Dolby Vision and HDR 10 transfer is stunning throughout and really is as close to the original theatrical presentation as possible. The movie is shot on Arri Alexa digital cameras and what appear to be more film-like lenses for a very colourful small town look and feel. I noticed a few times of the “digital video look” at times, especially on some interior close-ups, but it’s a small nitpick. The soundtrack is a full-on Dolby Atmos and is loud, aggressive in its surround use and really hits some low end on bass. In particular the proton pack sound was the most impressive use of the sound-field, making for an overall terrific presentation on disc.
The extra features are all on the Blu Ray (the 4k disc is feature only) and are the usual production featurettes about the filming and casting, and an interesting short on the Easter eggs found in the movie. To their credit, I liked how they didn’t reveal ALL of them and encouraged the viewer to watch the movie again to pick out more details to honour the original Ivan Reitman movie. A Digital Copy is also included and, sadly, only redeems in HD to Google Play.
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is available as a single 4k release but is also available in a much larger (and pricier) box set that includes the first two movies in 4k as well as additional discs of bonus features and documentaries on the entire series’ legacy. I wish I could have seen more of those features on this single release, but this is still a solid release and an easy recommend on its own.
Many thanks to Sony Home Entertainment and our partners at Taro PR for sending along a copy for review.