Gil Kenan to Direct Ghostbusters "Afterlife" sequel

[Henadic Theologian]

I'm looking forward to this and the new ghostbusters cartoons.

 

[payn]

Have not seen any of his directed movies.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Have not seen any of his directed movies.

He was producer on Afterlife, the director and producer switching jobs for the sequel.

 

[payn]

He was producer on Afterlife, the director and producer switching jobs for the sequel.

Right, just sayin I have not seen any of his director work. Afterlife was not terribly impressive.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Right, just sayin I have not seen any of his director work. Afterlife was not terribly impressive.

It was extremely impressive, IMHO possibly the best Ghostbusters ever.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Right, just sayin I have not seen any of his director work. Afterlife was not terribly impressive.

It was extremely impressive, IMHO possibly the best Ghostbusters ever.

I think people have wildly divergent ideas of what a Ghostbusters movie should be.

Afterlife was basically Stranger Things, treating the original Ghostbusters movie as a classic horror-fantasy-comedy, full of deep world-building and with canon deserving of reverence by the grandchildren of one of the original four (the most obvious spoiler ever). If that's your jam, you loved it.

If you want Ghostbusters to be a silly, cocaine-fueled horror-comedy, with strong emphasis on the comedy, Afterlife was a bizarre mess.

I have my own opinions on what I want from these movies, but I don't think either camp is really wrong here. But only one of them is getting serviced by these new sequels.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I think people have wildly divergent ideas of what a Ghostbusters movie should be.

Afterlife was basically Stranger Things, treating the original Ghostbusters movie as a classic horror-fantasy-comedy, full of deep world-building and with canon deserving of reverence by the grandchildren of one of the original four (the most obvious spoiler ever). If that's your jam, you loved it.

If you want Ghostbusters to be a silly, cocaine-fueled horror-comedy, with strong emphasis on the comedy, Afterlife was a bizarre mess.

I have my own opinions on what I want from these movies, but I don't think either camp is really wrong here. But only one of them is getting serviced by these new sequels.

Only one vision was profitable. Only vision sells toys and collectibles. That is clearly the vision that won, hence why it's getting all the goodies going forward, and the rest of the entertainment industry needs to take note, canon matters whether they like it or not.

 

[payn]

Thats interesting since I considered the weakest parts of Afterlife the ones that clung to canon.

 

[Ryujin]

Thats interesting since I considered the weakest parts of Afterlife the ones that clung to canon.

I thought that it was a really good movie that got far too fan servicey, at the conclusion.

 

[payn]

I thought that it was a really good movie that got far too fan servicey, at the conclusion.

Right, I think it works as a stranger things derivative, but the fan service didn't really add anything to the experience, IMO. So, not only is the movie unoriginal in theme and tone, but it doesn't do anything interesting with what came before either. It's a mediocre story, but with a good cast and execution.

If the supposed lesson here is that sticking with canon is the successful method, I'm afraid its the wrong lesson. It's just going to encourage more unoriginal sequels and attempts going forward.

 

[Ryujin]

Right, I think it works as a stranger things derivative, but the fan service didn't really add anything to the experience, IMO. So, not only is the movie unoriginal in theme and tone, but it doesn't do anything interesting with what came before either. It's a mediocre story, but with a good cast and execution.

If the supposed lesson here is that sticking with canon is the successful method, I'm afraid its the wrong lesson. It's just going to encourage more unoriginal sequels and attempts going forward.

It's generally the telling of the story, not the story itself, that makes a good movie. You can have a very straight forward and simple story that, told well, catches real public interest. Think about "The Fifth Element." There really isn't a lot of story there and the resolution is, "Love is the strongest force in the universe." Taken straight-up that's pablum for the mind, however, the style, imagery, and action carry that simple and bland story to some pretty big heights.

I was fine with Egon being the ghost and the callbacks to an incident in New York that no one remembers, but should. Maybe they should have tossed in a throw-away line about no one really being able to hang onto memories of real supernatural events, but it was fine as it was. Maybe show Egon in silhouette during the final battle, as he's going off to his rest? Something smaller than what we got. It's still a fine movie but let down by the last act by being too.... much.

 

[payn]

It's generally the telling of the story, not the story itself, that makes a good movie. You can have a very straight forward and simple story that, told well, catches real public interest. Think about "The Fifth Element." There really isn't a lot of story there and the resolution is, "Love is the strongest force in the universe." Taken straight-up that's pablum for the mind, however, the style, imagery, and action carry that simple and bland story to some pretty big heights.

I was fine with Egon being the ghost and the callbacks to an incident in New York that no one remembers, but should. Maybe they should have tossed in a throw-away line about no one really being able to hang onto memories of real supernatural events, but it was fine as it was. Maybe show Egon in silhouette during the final battle, as he's going off to his rest? Something smaller than what we got. It's still a fine movie but let down by the last act by being too.... much.

See, I think it was the characters of Fifth Element that made the movie. You can do wonders with a simple story in that approach. Afterlife sort of went in that direction, but the characters were a little too scripted and predictable. My issue with the film is it all felt too scripted and predictable. Its executed well, but there is nothing really memorable about it (besides too much fanservice/just like stranger things).

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Thats interesting since I considered the weakest parts of Afterlife the ones that clung to canon.

Fandom clearly thought otherwise. Results speak for themselves.

 

[Ryujin]

See, I think it was the characters of Fifth Element that made the movie. You can do wonders with a simple story in that approach. Afterlife sort of went in that direction, but the characters were a little too scripted and predictable. My issue with the film is it all felt too scripted and predictable. Its executed well, but there is nothing really memorable about it (besides too much fanservice/just like stranger things).

I lump the characters in with "style." Age old story, new paint job.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

See, I think it was the characters of Fifth Element that made the movie. You can do wonders with a simple story in that approach. Afterlife sort of went in that direction, but the characters were a little too scripted and predictable. My issue with the film is it all felt too scripted and predictable. Its executed well, but there is nothing really memorable about it (besides too much fanservice/just like stranger things).

No such thing as too much fan service.

 

[Zardnaar]

No such thing as too much fan service.

There is but depends in what counts as fan service.

Eg you expect some level of continuity.

Mostly I think it just boils down to execution.

 

[Ryujin]

There is but depends in what counts as fan service.

Eg you expect some level of continuity.

Mostly I think it just boils down to execution.

Indeed. There is elegant, subtle fan service and there's baseball bat to the back of the cranium fan service. The first is good. The second... not so much.

 

[billd91]

No such thing as too much fan service.

Disagree on that one.
There may have been a fan service callback or two too many (maybe a little overuse of the marshmallows). But ghost Egon wasn't one of them. I thought they did that well.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

No such thing as too much fan service.

We found the Rise of Skywalker fan, guys!

 

[GreyLord]

We found the Rise of Skywalker fan, guys!

That didn't actually have that much fan-service...

Perhaps the opposite though. Fan Mockery. Not quite as much as The Last Jedi, but enough to enrage many of those who were fans previously.

(Fan mockery can appear to be Fan service, but it is different in that it takes what could be fan service and turns it on it's head to make a mockery of the original rather than respect the original).