Ghostbusters: Afterlife reviews are rolling in from critics who have seen the film that stars Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, and Carrie Coon.
Metacritic
On Metacritic, the film has a Metascore of 62 with 7 positive reviews, 3 mixed reviews, and 1 negative review.
Here’s what the critics are saying:
Rosie Knight at IGN gives the film a 90. She writes, “Director Jason Reitman does his father and fans proud with a funny, sweet, and spooky family movie that proudly takes on the legacy of Ghostbusters, while also introducing something exciting and new.”
Johnny Oleksinski at the New York Post gives the movie an 88. He writes, “[Reitman] finds the perfect tone here . . . He’s also skilled at getting genuine performance out of young actors, as he proved in “Juno,” and balancing humor with stakes — essential for comedy-horror like “Ghostbusters.” The jokes are very funny and Wolfhard and Grace make life-threatening peril look like a ball.”
Jane Crowther at Total Film gives the movie an 80. She writes, “Warm, witty and full of wonder, Afterlife reanimates a franchise without spitting on its grave.”
Sheri Linden at The Hollywood Reporter gives the film an 80 as well. She writes, “As franchise update, origin story, coming-of-age movie, comedy and indulgent f/x extravaganza, the feature, written by the director and Gil Kenan (Monster House), hits all its marks.”
Olly Richards at Empire gives the movie an 80. He writes, “It’s always fun, inventive and full of charm. If you have any concerns that Jason Reitman’s film might sully the legacy of his dad’s greatest creation, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
William Bibbiani at TheWrap gives the movie a 71. He states, “Reitman’s direction may be sharp and professional, but that’s only in the service of familiar material, so it falls to an excellent cast to make the most of a very repetitive situation.”
Peter Debruge at Variety gives the movie a 70. He writes, “The good news for “Ghostbusters” fans is that “Afterlife” does nothing to tarnish what has come before.”
Christian Holub at Entertainment Weekly gives the film a 58. Holub writes, “There are some jokes here — Paul Rudd brings a little lightness to the proceedings as the kids’ science teacher, Mr. Grooberson — but it’s hard to escape the overall sensation of, well, a corpse being exhumed.”
Jesse Hassenger at AV Club gives the movie a 50. Hassenger states, “Afterlife wants desperately to summon the spirit of watching the first movie back in 1984. It winds up ghoulish in the wrong way.”
Courtney Howard at IndieWire gives the movie a 50. She writes, “Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits the reboot button once more, this time carrying a familial cinematic legacy. Yet with all the nostalgia packed into the picture, its own refurbished identity is slightly compromised, functioning as a mimeograph of what came before it.”
Charles Bramesco at The Guardian gives the movie a 20. He writes, “Here, we can find a damning summary of modern Hollywood’s default mode – a nostalgia object, drained of personality and fitted into a dully palatable mold, custom-made for a fandom that worships everything and respects nothing.”
Rotten Tomatoes
On Rotten Tomatoes the film currently has an 81% on the Tomatometer from 32 reviews. It has a 7.2 out of 10 average rating with 26 fresh reviews and 6 rotten reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes’ Top Critics score sits at 50% with an average rating of 5.4 out of 10. There are five rotten reviews and five fresh reviews.
Here’s what the critics on Rotten Tomatoes are saying:
Shannon McGrew at Nightmarish Conjurings gives the film a 3.5 out of 5. She wrote, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a refreshing relaunch of a beloved franchise and one that pays ample amounts of respect to the original.”
Alison Wilmore at Vulture gives the film a rotten review. She writes, “An homage to and continuation of the 1984 Ghostbusters that painstakingly mines that movie for props, lines, and characters while giving no indication of being aware of what it was like to actually watch.”
Catalina Combs at Black Girl Nerds gives the film a 4 out of 5. She writes, “Fans of the original 1984 ‘Ghostbusters’ will have fun with ‘Ghostbusters Afterlife’. You will laugh; you will be thrilled. It truly is a love letter to the original and the fans.”
Scott Mendelson at Forbes gives the film a 6 out of 10. He writes, “An increasing reliance on pandering nostalgic fan service very nearly derails what otherwise exists as a charming and witty kid-centric coming-of-age fantasy.”
Grace Randolph at Beyond the Trailer gives the film a fresh review. She writes, “Still not as good as the original but darn close. Very entertaining, sets up a future for more movies. Rudd is always a huge plus. McKenna Grace does a great job as the lead.”
Kaitlyn Booth at Bleeding Cool gives the movie a 9 out of 10. She writes, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife is the best possible way to approach reviving franchises. It has plenty of reverence for the previous movies, but it’s the new stories told with plenty of heart and good characters that really cements it as an excellent movie.”
Sean O’Connell at CinemaBlend gives the movie a fresh 3 out of 5. He writes, “The sequel Ghostbusters fans have been waiting decades for captures the spirit of the original movies, but lets down the classic cast.”
Marya E. Gates at Nerdist gives the movie a 4.5 out of 5. Gates writes, “Truly one of the best sequels in recent memory, offering just enough of the familiar to justify its title, while also bringing so much heart and fun and originality along for the ride.”
Joey Magidson at Awards Radar gives the movie a 3.5 out of 4. He writes, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife is everything you want it to be. Several moments legitimately gave me chills. Jason Reitman honors what came before while blazing a new trail forward.”
John Nguyen at Nerd Reactor gives the movie a 4 out of 5. He writes, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife pays homage to the classic films while also being its own movie.”
Carla Hay at Culture Mix gives the film a fresh review. She writes, “[It’s] a Ghostbusters fan’s dream come true. The movie … respects all the things that fans loved about the original Ghostbusters movie while introducing an exciting new storyline and appealing new characters.”
David Crow of Den of Geek gives the film a fresh 3.5 out of 5. He writes, “The past is sweetly honored, including by a delicate handling of Ramis’ passing, but for the first time in nearly 40 years, another generation can finally claim Ghostbusters as their own.”
The official description for the film states, “From director Jason Reitman and producer Ivan Reitman comes the next chapter in the original Ghostbusters universe. In Ghostbusters: Afterlife, when a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. The film is written by Gil Kenan & Jason Reitman.”
Ghostbusters: Afterlife arrives in theaters on November 19, 2021.