This is actually kind of hard to say and hard to argue since I do happen to like the Ghostbusters quite a bit and was happy to see this movie finally come out. As I’ve said, it did feel rushed, but it didn’t attempt to reinvent the story in any way, and that’s a huge point in its favor. There was a lot of exposition that wasn’t terrible even if it took up a great deal of time, which makes me feel the need to state once again that it could have been filmed as two movies and been just as good, with the possibility of a third that would come later and perhaps offer up a passing of the torch moment to the next generation of Ghostbusters. It’s possible the transition could still happen, but it does feel like something that would be best to leave alone for at least a few more years if not for good. For those that haven’t seen the movie yet, there are still spoilers to warn about since it did just hit theaters yesterday and there is plenty to talk about if the idea to create a sequel is going to take off.
Personally, I do hope that it doesn’t since even with the idea that it could, since there’s a good chance that there are other crazies apart from Ivor Shandor out there trying to bring back dead gods and other creatures that are bent on world domination, it probably shouldn’t. But the fact is that by the end of Afterlife there is a post-credit scene that shows Winston, played by the always great Ernie Hudson, purchasing the old firehouse, and as he’s looking around, a familiar red light goes off. It would appear that the idea will be to bring the Ghostbusters back, but as some people online are already talking about, it could also mean an expansion of the franchise and bigger and more interesting things to come. There’s only one issue with this, and it’s a big one.
The bigger the Ghostbusters gets, the more problems it will create with the franchise as from a real-world perspective, it does feel as though this would water down the entire idea and make it less effective than the movies have been over the years. It’s not simply the desire to see the idea kept as it is and passed slowly from one generation to the next, it’s the reality that when something becomes a little too big for its own good it starts to break down and chip away at the edges of it until the main idea becomes a faded remnant of what it used to be. Granted, there are a few ideas that could be worked into a streaming series since Gozer isn’t exactly gone, she’s been sucked into the traps that Egon laid in Afterlife, as have the Keymaster and Gatekeeper. So the ghosts are still there, physically, but they’ve been rendered inert at the moment, and without her two canine companions, Gozer is less than effective apparently. There could be a series or another movie that focuses on keeping Gozer and her pets apart, which could be added to by someone that’s intent on getting them back together. Yes, it does sound like an Infinity Saga type of story, but there are ways to keep it from appearing to be a cheap copy.
But getting back to why this might not be a good idea, it kind of has to do with the fact that the ‘home office’ as Dr. Venkman put it, is still around and might still be operating for a while since there’s no way that they’re going to allow the Spengler kids and their friends to take over such a dangerous job just yet. Even for a movie that would be incredibly irresponsible, but you can bet that with a time jump that there are plenty of people that might think it can happen. My point is that it shouldn’t happen at this time since it does feel that while there is an opportunity, that letting the Ghostbusters be for now would be the better idea since they now have closure with Egon, they’re aware of Egon’s grandkids, and they might be paying greater attention to the supernatural issues in the world at large since Egon was right.
Part of me wants to see another Ghostbusters movie, but the other part wants the story to stop at this point if only because to keep going is to invite other ideas that might water down the story and tear it apart eventually. Many would gladly argue or even ignore this idea since there’s likely money to be made and people to impress, but it does feel that pushing for another Ghostbuster’s movie or a streaming series would be a mistake.
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