--- title: "Ghostbusters: Afterlife: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-afterlife/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-afterlife" critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 54 from 23 reviews: 9 positive, 5 mixed, 9 negative. The reviews split almost exactly down the middle, and the argument is about how much of the film is its own. Where critics agree is on the cast. Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe is praised across the board, including by reviewers who dislike everything around her, and several single out the pairing of Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd. The warmer notices treat it as a Spielbergian family adventure with more heart than the usual reboot, and Variety has a good word for the practical effects. The reservations cluster around the callbacks. Even positive reviews concede the fan service is heavy; the negative ones, from the Telegraph to the Los Angeles Times, call it a nostalgia exercise with few jokes and nothing at stake. The digital tribute to Harold Ramis divides critics, with Little White Lies finding it manipulative. The spread is wide, from a rave at Deadline to near-dismissal at Vulture, and the early trade reviews are noticeably kinder than the later British ones. ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2021. Jason Reitman’s film is a thoroughly lovely sequel that captures the feeling of the originals without simply imitating them. It focuses on appealing new characters with strong chemistry and is always fun, inventive and full of charm. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/ghostbusters-afterlife/) ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. Jason Reitman pitches it just right in this spooky though never scary reboot full of humour and nods to the originals. The result is a warm, nostalgic reboot that's as touching as it is crowd-pleasing, led by strong turns from Coon and Grace. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q20lrl/ghostbusters-afterlife/) ## IndieWire — Courtney Howard Rating B. 9 October 2021. Reitman revives the flailing franchise with a fresh female-forward spin and clever evolutions of its hallmarks, but it suffers from an over-reliance on its previous life and callbacks. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-2-1234670605/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2021. This nostalgic sequel is more progressive than the original and benefits from strong chemistry between Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd. It raises more than the ghost of a smile despite some flat moments in the finale. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-movie-finn-wolfhard-mckenna-grace-paul-rudd-b966731.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2021. The film revives the franchise with a fresh jolt of energy, offering fan service alongside a new entry point for younger audiences while honoring its legacy without tarnishing what came before. The critic singles out the practical effects, sight gags like the mini Stay-Puft and the emotional tribute to Harold Ramis. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-1235084741/) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2021. The film is a feelgood nostalgic remake of the 1980s original that will appeal to fans of a certain age and their children. It succeeds as a Spielbergian family adventure thanks to its score and casting of Finn Wolfhard. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/21/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-jason-reitman-finn-wolfhard) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2021. The film is a character-driven franchise update with more heart than slime, delivering engaging performances especially from Mckenna Grace as Phoebe and a mix of comedy, coming-of-age elements, and effects. It hits its marks as an origin story while paying tribute to the original and Harold Ramis. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-1235028451/) ## Time Out Rating 3/5. The film is a spirit-lifting return that hits all the old notes with enough heart to rise above average reboots, though the first hour sags and callbacks feel crowbarred in. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/ghostbusters-afterlife-2021) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Rating C. 9 October 2021. The film is a dispiriting nostalgia exercise that turns the original's loose comedy into a reverent, neo-Spielbergian kid adventure with maximum reverence and minimum comedy, treating the iconography as holy scripture rather than delivering funny dialogue or new energy. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/ghostbusters-afterlife-is-a-dispiriting-nostalgia-exer-1847831687) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2021. Festival review. Reitman’s sequel moves the action to rural Oklahoma and focuses on adolescents but is haunted by self-conscious fan service; a winning performance from Mckenna Grace provides appeal but the film feels like a blatant attempt to reinvest audiences in a bygone blockbuster. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ghostbusters-afterlife-review/5164129.article) ## The i Paper — Geoffrey Macnab Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The film starts promisingly with witty 80s references and strong early scenes but loses charm once the ghostbusting intensifies. Characterisation suffers amid increasingly self-indulgent tributes to the originals. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-paul-rudd-carrie-coon-uk-film-cinema-release-1307422) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 3/2/1. 9 November 2021. The critic finds the film a misjudged nostalgia overload with a bland script and unrelenting callbacks. It complains of emotional manipulation via digital resurrection of Harold Ramis and lack of chemistry or innovation. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/ghostbusters-afterlife/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The film is a toothless, cuddly play for nostalgia and merch that centers adorable children and cutesy ghosts while delivering easy-watching but frictionless entertainment. The critic singles out the predictable, wide-eyed child performers and cartoonish apparitions engineered for toy shelves. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/movies/ghostbusters-afterlife-review.html) ## The Telegraph — Robbie Collin Rating 2/5. 18 November 2021. The sequel is spookily drab and fails to take the Ghostbusters brand seriously. Wish-fulfilment is the only move, resulting in drab action, scarce jokes and a characterless town with nothing at stake. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-gonna-call-not-guys/) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Rating 1.5/4. 16 November 2021. The film dispiritingly peddles nostalgia for its own sake, focusing on hermetically sealed continuity and callbacks rather than balancing comedy and spectacle, turning young heroes into audience surrogates marveling at predecessors. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-jason-reitman/) ## The Times Rating ★★☆☆☆. 18 November 2021. The film is a shamefully flat mishmash rehash that relocates the action to small-town Oklahoma and serves up cynically uninspired material from an uninspired director. The kids are unaware of the franchise's history in illogical ways. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-shamefully-flat-mishmash-rehash-qqpvxt5jq) ## The Independent — Mark Kennedy Rating 1/4. 17 November 2021. The film is overly reliant on callbacks to the original and fails to stand on its own. It wastes strong performances and feels like a cynical cash-in. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/carrie-coon-jason-reitman-ghostbusters-cadillac-ivan-reitman-b1959314.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Roxana Hadadi Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The reboot is listless, creatively bankrupt and an ouroboros of nostalgia cannibalizing itself, making it an unenjoyable exercise in fealty to the original. The critic singles out the craven mimicking of predecessors, broad performances and reliance on Easter eggs over new ideas or stakes. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-11-18/review-ghostbusters-afterlife-jason-reitman-carrie-coon-paul-rudd) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2021. The film is a ghoulish, unengaging Amblin-esque coming-of-age story that obsessively mines the original for props and lines without capturing its spirit, pandering to fans through nostalgia and fan service in a nefarious way. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/ghostbusters-afterlife-is-a-reanimated-corpse.html) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2021. The critic praises Jason Reitman for delivering a smart and fun reinvention of the franchise as a family affair, centering on young characters especially Phoebe. Special effects, the cast led by McKenna Grace, and Reitman's reinvention of his own family legacy are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/ghostbusters-afterlife-review-carrie-coon-finn-wolfhard-mckenna-grace-paul-rudd/) ## Polygon — Austen Goslin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. Festival review. The film is a generational hand-off and nostalgia trip that expands what a Ghostbusters story can be, focusing on new young characters finding their place rather than recapturing the original's team dynamic. It succeeds most with its adolescent adventure elements and strong performances from the young cast, especially Mckenna Grace. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22728147/ghostbusters-afterlife-review/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. The critic finds the film an entertaining sequel-reboot with sharp direction, snappy dialogue and a stellar young cast that carries it, but notes it feels overly familiar and repetitive of the original while serving mainly to set up future entries. The Amblin-esque family adventure elements and McKenna Grace's performance are singled out for praise amid complaints about lack of surprises and heavy nostalgia callbacks. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/ghostbusters-afterlife-film-review-2021-sequel-paul-rudd/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating D-. 18 November 2021. The critic argues the film misses the original's comedic spirit and irreverence, instead prioritizing fan-service reverence and legacy themes over story or humor. Mckenna Grace's performance as Phoebe stands out as a highlight amid the nostalgia focus. [Read the review](https://collider.com/ghostbusters-afterlife-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-afterlife.md