An exemplary sequel to the cult film of the 80s and just a glorious family movie.
The town in Oklahoma Summerville is a cross between Gravity Falls and King's Derry: it seems that there was (or is there?) An extravagant grandfather with a chest of secrets in the basement, but it seems that some secrets are better to stay where they are hidden - all of a sudden take a couple of nightmares with them. The skeletons in the closet, along with the rickety barn and the house from the cover of Poe's novel, were inherited by Kelly (Carrie Coon) from her father, whom she barely knew, while the locals called the extravagant neighbor a dirty farmer. As soon as she moved to these parts with her son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and daughter Phoebe (McKenna Grace), very strange things naturally begin to happen - the dead do not die, and earthquakes happen exactly on schedule.
The Ghostbusters brand has already grown enough: in addition to the 1989 sequel, there were also animated series, books, and a remake with a female cast, which everyone preferred to forget about as soon as possible. This time everything is different, if only because Jason Reitman took the helm of the project: in addition to being the director of the most delicate films like "Juno" and "Tully" (written by screenwriter Diablo Cody), he is also the son of the director of the original dilogy Ivan Reitman. And this continuity, spelled out in the Russian localized name with the word "heirs", becomes the main centrifugal force, and intonation, and the method of making a film - and this is not at all bad, but quite the opposite.
Reboots, remakes, relaunches, quadriquels and TV series based on the original franchises have already become not only tired, but become an everyday reality of the industry to such an extent that it makes no sense to seriously talk about the need to enter the same river twice, three times, or how many times there is enough strength ... The "heirs" are too well aware of their place on this olympus of former glory and do not claim anything more than to become a film - a declaration of love. And this quivering letter is addressed not only to the original picture, but also to the era itself: mentally and mechanically, "The Heirs" remind both "Casper", and "Jumanji", and "Goonies", and other children's family films, on which millennials grew up, and the director himself.
Reitman Jr., treating not only with love, but also with great respect for the original source, nevertheless does not slide into the abyss of endless fan service and repetitions: the original quartet appears only closer to the final scene (sorry for the spoiler - we promise, it will not spoil the impression ), and the most literal references and easter eggs are completely hidden after the credits, so as not to deny yourself the joy of flirting with the viewer. Continuity is also felt in the gravitation towards practical effects, and not just graphics (although, of course, there is also plenty of it here): you can hold all these familiar devices in your hands, those same traps affectionately wink with red and green lights, chess moves in black and white the blackboard by themselves, and in the hatch under the old leather chair is a secret passage. Scenario excuses for returning to this universe are not even very necessary: the ghosts among us, just dozed off a little before the next end of the world.
It is also not surprising that in the family saga the main conflict revolves around fathers and children: while Kelly cannot forgive her dad-scientist (none other than Dr. time winks at her from the other world with a table lamp. It is Phoebe, and not Trevor, played by Wolfhard (who, as you know, the 80s are like no one else), becomes the main character - an awkward geek girl who has in stock not only a couple of formulas, but also several specific anecdotes about Pascal and hamsters ( stupid and funny). The abyss of the charm of young McKenna Grace, coupled with the general vibe of endless adventure and the permissiveness of summer vacations, is enough for the restart not only not to annoy the very fact of its appearance, but also arouse sincere sympathy for both the audience familiar with the universe and newcomers to the local twilight zone. A giant pot-bellied ghost bites on fire hydrants, classmates are afraid to even approach a dilapidated dwelling, and the sexiest man on the planet Paul Rudd plays the funniest summer school teacher Mr. Gruberson and turns on Kujo on VHS. Reitman drew a world in which one wants to be, and even to return to it, and it is very different from New York of the 80s, which was drowning in pink slime on New Year's Eve.
In many ways, the effect of "Ghostbusters" will be directly proportional to expectations: the less you imagine what the film should be, the more likely it will become an excellent refuge from the spoiling weather and November blues. This light, hooligan, mischievous movie, childish, naive and moderately sentimental: the final title "Dedicated to Harold" (the artist who played Spengler, Harold Ramis died in 2014) will knock a tear out of any skeptic who does not believe in ghosts and reboots.
This article ws sponsored by Iryna Povarchuk.
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