Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters: Afterlife honors the legacy of the original films so well that it proves viewers were robbed by the Star Wars sequel trilogy. With particular reference to the final act of Afterlife and The Rise of Skywalker, there are some similarities between their respective final battles. However, this new Ghostbusters film excels where Episode IX stopped short, providing a much better ending while proving that the final chapter of the Skywalker saga could have been so much stronger.
In the final act of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey ventures to the Sith world of Exegol to face her grandfather Emperor Palpatine, resurrected after his death in Return of the Jedi. While she was joined by the redeemed Ben Solo (the two of them being a powerful dyad in the Force), Rey ultimately faces Palpatine on her own while being encouraged and motivated by the voices of past Jedi before she defeats the Emperor for good. However, Ghostbusters: Afterlife proves that the final episode of the Skywalker saga should have gone further to honor Star Wars' legacy.
The ending of Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows a very similar path. Revealed to be the grandchildren of original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler, Phoebe (Mckenna Grace) and her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) use the tools he left behind to face the resurrected Gozer the Gozerian. Joined by their friends as the next generation of Ghostbusters, the final battle eventually sees them joined by the original Ghostbusters cast: Ray (Dan Aykroyd), Peter (Bill Murray), and Winston (Ernie Hudson). However, they also get help from Egon's ghost (a digital recreation of the late Harold Ramis). Essentially, this new sequel honors the legacy of its franchise much better than The Rise of Skywalker did for Star Wars by actually showing the original heroes. The final episode could have easily brought back its own Force ghosts of past Jedi who could have stood behind Rey as she fought the Emperor (which is what many wished had happened).
It seems as though there might have been fears that Rey would have been overshadowed had she been joined by the Jedi of the past, though Ghostbusters: Afterlife proves that it could have been done. While the sequel put the original cast of Ghostbusters front and center in the final battle against Gozer, it wasn't until the new team had had their time to shine. Furthermore, the original Ghostbusters only had one scene together to not overshadow the next generation. After all, the film is about them carrying on the legacy the original team left behind.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife proves viewers could have been given something much more meaningful from the Star Wars sequels - or at least something more than Rey only hearing the voices of past Jedi. In any case, the new Ghostbusters does a great job honoring the legacy of its past quite well.