The latest full-length trailer for Ghostbusters: Afterlife dropped yesterday, and while it’s an undeniably solid promo that sets the stage nicely and features a strong balance between explaining where the mythology is at today while still tipping its hat to the original, the footage is coming under criticism from certain sections of the fanbase.
Recommended VideosLegacy sequels are all the rage these days, and Afterlife seems to be taking that to heart more than perhaps any other hybrid of sequel and reboot in recent memory, and that’s even if we completely ignore the fact director Jason Reitman is taking over from his father Ivan behind the camera, keeping the franchise all in the family.
The trailer has visual nods, winks, a Janine cameo, a stinger teasing the return of Bill Murray’s Peter Venkman and the entire narrative appears to be hinged on the late Harold Ramis, with Egon’s family moving into his home in the middle of nowhere and discovering his past as a member of the Ghostbusters.
However, one key component of the mythos was missing entirely, and as you can see below, some fans are asking why there aren’t any jokes or humor in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
"Ah, now you do plan to eventually have jokes in your Ghostbusters movie, right?"
— Jacob deNobel (@Jacob_deNobel) July 27, 2021
Another Ghostbusters trailer where I’m very confused about this story world. Ghosts exist but no one remembers the times New York was attacked? Egon has chosen to leave his family in a world where there is a life after death? Is it a comedy or does it just have Paul Rudd?
— Da7e Gonzales (@Da7e) July 27, 2021
ok, but is it just me or does the ghostbusters afterlife trailer seem to be taking the legacy of the original like *way to seriously*
i know i can sometimes be bad at picking up on jokes, but also the trailer gave literally no impression at all to me of even being for a comedy.
— 🦊Cdre aspen-maxwell also available on BlueSky (@jkmurcury9) July 27, 2021
Had to double check because I couldn’t quite believe it but there are no jokes in this trailer. Ghostbusters was a comedy film where a ghost gave Dan Ackroyd such good head that he went cross-eyed
— Sarah Cleary (@SarahAJCleary) July 27, 2021
Of course, the movie isn’t coming to theaters until November, so we’re guaranteed at least one more trailer that could paint an entirely different sort of picture. The cast and crew will be fully aware that Ghostbusters was defined by its rich vein of humor just as much as the set pieces, and it’s still regarded as one of the most beloved studio comedies ever made. Ghostbusters: Afterlife has opted for a self-serious and somber tone for now, then, but we’ll see if that ends up being reflective of the finished product.
