GhostBusters 3 is Finally Being Made. (2020 Release)

Could that be Gozer the Gozerian crawling out of the well/pit? The sparkly arm and hair are...kind of familiar.

 

Given that's exactly what the footage we've seen so far does - new take on the trap, on Ecto 1, on pretty much everything - I'd say yes. The same, but different, in the best possible way. Looks a whole lot like Hollywood's finally getting it right.

If it's not, it's a pretty epic level troll, especially considering all the supporting evidence.

 

I am not convinced this is "right" though. The original Ghostbusters was not a "kids" movie--part of what made the film great was its crude humor ("This man has no dick!"), spontaneity, and its rebelliousness. Originally, I was hoping that the 2016 film would have been more in the spirit of The Hangover or Bridesmaids, because that would be truer to the spirit of the original Ghostbusters.

If by "getting it right", what is actually meant is a live action version of The Read Ghostbusters or something that is more in the spirit of Ghostbusters II then this movie seems like that.

 

The rude humour was a minor aspect of the original and, to the best of my understanding, a holdover from Aykroyd's initial script, Ghost Smashers, which was in similar vein to Blues Brothers and Animal House. Being more in the spirit of The Hangover would work if you wanted to recapture Ghost Smashers, but not Ghostbusters.

Worth noting that playfully naughty humour was not uncommon in family films of the 80s, since we weren't so restrictive about it then, and the PG rating covered a broader spectrum than it does now. The statue scene in The Goonies and Indy's means of accessing the secret tunnel in Temple of Doom are prime examples.

That's not to say there won't be any rude humour in Afterlife, of course, just that I think it quite unlikely. If there is, I hope it cleaves more to the 80s approach than, say, the Transformers movies.

 

Yeah, I disagree with nearly all of that. Akroyd may have wanted to change the script completely and make a serious movie, but it was the Ramis and Murray that made the movie a classic. Without the humor, the movie would have been highly forgettable.

 

I grew up seeing both Ghostbusters films as paranormal comedies, so yeah, the injection of humor and dry wit into the original definitely made it what it is.

 

It's not an either/or proposition. What made Ghostbusters work as well as it did was a combination of the dry wit and humour, WITH the straight-faced earnestness and commitment to taking the subject matter seriously. Reitman, Ramis & Murry made it funny, but Aykroyd made it feel real. Not respecting the latter half of that is largely what made GB'16 fall flat. It was just a series of jokes and improve routines.

Don't get me wrong, the original Ghostbusters had no shortage of gags but it was never at the cost of the stakes and drama.

As for the new trailer; is it weird that my favourite thing is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Adam Savage cameo?

 

I think you are absolutely right on that--Ghostbusters was a film that defied genres. Akroyd is a firm believer in the paranormal and made sure the movie reflected that. The only thing about your comments I disagree on was that the 2016 Ghostbusters just wasn't funny in my opinion. It WAS like and SNL sketch, but one of the sketches that is aired after the SNL news--the ones that are filler and just are not funny.

 

I don't think we even get SNL over here, so I'm afraid that comparison is meaningless to me. All I know is that Patty and Holtzmann were great and I hope they get moved into the canon, everything else seemed to hover around flat and desperate, or over the top and aimless.
But again, the jokes aren't the point. You could have the funniest gags ever and it won't matter if the script is garbage, if the story isn't grounded, or if the film doesn't take itself at least somewhat seriously.

 

I had a discussion with a friend years ago that was about this. There are people, usually older, for whom Ghostbusters is an ‘adult comedy’ a successor, as was often said, to Stripes. But, for a lot of people, who maybe grew up with TV showings and VHS (Bowlderised slightly. Peck is neckless) and then The Real Ghostbusters, and novels and games etc, Ghost Busters is way more akin to a Raiders of The Lost Ark. (which also, let’s not forget, also has a ton of humour, and a 1989 sequel with even more humour)
For those kids it was a serious thing. People grew up to become paranormal investigators off the back of it, the way Indy made some people take up archaeology.

I’m one of the kids for whom it’s like a foundational text of childhood. We’re the ones who ship Egon/Janine, know that Winston loves chocolate fudge cake, that sort of thing. It is, in some ways, our Star Wars. (Which Star Wars also is xD)

Feig was of that older generation to whom it was ‘just’ an SNL spin off comedy. Which missed a huge chunk of why it was popular enough to get that 89 sequel, and why it’s maintained a cult status to this day. It’s one of the reasons his reboot didn’t land (this isn’t news, he’s said as much, and it’s a shame he didn’t realise during production) well.

This film gets that, because Jason Reitman grew up in that exact situation, with privileged access to the story. He knows that kids had more Ghost Busters toys than He-Man by the time he was in that scene in GB II.

So, while the original may not have started as a ‘kids’ movie, it was the kids that loved it. (Like Doctor Venkman says) We’re all in our forties now, playing Fortnite with our kids (featuring The Predator, The Terminator, Sarah Connor, Ripley, The Alien and…. Ghostbusters.) and a market for nostalgia as well as ‘family films’.

If GB is just a comedy for you, you’re not gonna be fussed about a sequel.
If it was something more, then guess what, you’re gonna have opinions and wants, and they want your money.

This time, they look to have not messed that understanding up.

 

Wait, what?! I've watched the trailer a ton of times and I haven't noticed him. I just watched it again and still didn't him now that I'm looking.

 

In the YouTube timeline to the right of the advert

 

Well clearly, you blinked!

Yup. He's also been hinting at something to do with this movie for most of the year, so odds are he shot some footage. If I had to guess (and it is just a guess) I'd say it's probably either some promotional meta stuff (like the actual in-universe youtube video if him explaining the science of proton packs as if they're real things as opposed to props), or some behind the scenes bits covering the practical effects, props and whatnot for the marketing campaign (and possibly his own channel.)

 

Um. Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Aykroyd's initial script was a comedy, a bawdy one, of the kind he and his intended co-star, John Belushi, preferred to make at the time, such as The Blues Brothers and Animal House. That script proved too expensive, and Belushi sadly died, so it never happened, but Ivan Reitman saw enough in it to bring in Harold Ramis to help rework it, and the rest is history.

In other words, it was always meant to be comedic, it was just the tone of the comedy that largely changed, and that was a collaborative effort. The commentary on the 15th Anniversary DVD, which I rewatched last night, is very informative about all of this.

Like @jaime, I grew up with the Ghostbusters films, so they're more than just comedies to me, a lot more. As @Reverend says, they work so well because they hit such a great balance between being funny, scary and sincere, and Afterlife clearly understands that.

The impression I'm getting is that Afterlife won't be traditional Ghostbusters to begin with, but will become more and more so as it goes along, as the kids uncover their heritage and connect to their grandfather. When the surviving OG Busters appear, likely at the end of the second act or start of the third, is the point it'll go full-bore, suited up, tooled up, Murray-wisecracking, beam-throwing, scenery-destroying, Ray Parker Jr-playing, funny-scary-sincere Ghostbusters.

 

I think the rural/small town setting may be throwing some people off a little, but really that's kinda perfect if they're doing what I think they're doing and tapping the more overtly Lovecraftian part of Ghostbusters' DNA.

I mean doomsday cults and secret ritual sites in the forgotten hills and back roads of rural America? Spiritualists from the 1920's performing rituals to open a gateway and summon and ancient being from another dimension? A dusty, run down house full of occult objects and strange technological artefacts? A secret family history and an heretofore unknown legacy?

I mean they could hardly have made it any more explicit, could they? All they need to put a bow on it is to reveal that Egon's alma mater was Miskatonic university.

 

Given your location, I bet you had the neckless peck version taped off telly too right? XD

I can literally tell you where the ad breaks were in the Christmas showing my dad taped lol. Almost always a ‘Dana is scared scene’ funnily enough. Cliffhanger material.

 

No kiddiing. You know how many years it took me to get used to watching Star Wars and it NOT having an ad for the MFI end of year sale in the middle of it?

 

Oohhhh...not an actual cameo but in a YouTube thumbnail. Very clever!

The sad thing is I kept meaning to take a closer look at those to see if there were any Easter eggs and I kept forgetting to pause it.

Yeah, I'm not surprised he's involved in some fashion because he's never been shy about his love for Ghostbusters (and all other things nerdy, but you know what I mean). I do hope he has an actual cameo in there somewhere.

 

My memory isn't clear enough to be sure, but it's very likely! I do vaguely recall a version without the succubus scene, just like I recall a version of Temple of Doom minus the heart-ripping. Conversely, I do recall Channel 4 or 5 showing a version of Hot Shots! that had a lot more in it, including a Basic Instinct parody moment. Haven't seen that version since. TV before streaming services was fun! :-p

Great point, and dead on the money with the Lovecraft, I think! Every time I think I can't be more excited for this film... :-D

For those interested, The Ghostbusters Wiki has a nice summary of Ghost Smashers. It was a pretty nuts concept, all told.

 

There is a whole basic instinct parody film, may be you’re thinking of that? Though, is it the bit where they character drives through a wall?

Yeah.. the GB edit you kinda see the succubus scene but chopped about. Kid me assumed he got kicked in the nuts.