*Be warned: from this point forward, there will be spoilers, but if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re already missing out*

After the events of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (2021), the Spengler family moves to New York and inherits the old Ghostbusters firehouse and business, which leaves the Ghostbusters with destruction of property charges. Mayor Walter Peck (William Atherton) benches Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) until she turns 18. Left with nothing to do, Phoebe finds herself befriending ghost Melody (Emily Alyn Lind), while the rest of the team deals with preventing a new potential threat.

This movie had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Every scene had my attention and had me guessing what would happen next. I will say that the film strayed a bit from its comedic roots, being a bit more thrilling and serious, but this isn’t to say there weren’t jokes here and there. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” along with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” (2024), seems to be leading the franchise into a more serious direction, which is something I’m excited to see in future installments.

Anyone who was around me when this movie came out knows I can go on and on about Ray’s (Dan Aykroyd) character within the movie. Afterlife characterized him as a sad old man who was mad at his old friend. A lot of other fans are mad at this characterization, but for that film, I think it made sense. The 2024 film brings him back to his former glory, having him excited and ready to investigate with Phoebe and Podcast (Logan Kim). This gets Ray into trouble with Winston (Ernie Hudson) after an incident at the library.

While “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ranks lower on my personal ranking of Ghostbuster films, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film. I think it’s a great movie! These new films in the franchise are bringing in a whole new generation of movies, while also leading the franchise into a new direction for future projects that I can’t wait to see.