New Ghostbusters: Afterlife featurette video reveals a closer look at the grimy old Ecto-1. The world first fell in love with the Ghostbusters in 1984 when Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson originated the characters, with Ivan Reitman behind the camera as director.
A lot has happened however in the years since the first Ghostbusters movie became a blockbuster. There was the somewhat maligned 1989 sequel Ghostbusters II. There was then talk of a third Ghostbusters movie with the original cast that never led to anything. And of course there was the 2016 all-female Ghostbusters reboot that became hugely controversial and failed to deliver at the box office. Now all these decades later, another Reitman is taking the helm of a Ghostbusters movie. Acclaimed director Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan, leads the way as the Ghostbusters franchise returns with Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Given how the Ghostbusters franchise has now passed from one Reitman to another, it’s appropriate that Ghostbusters: Afterlife is itself a generational handoff movie involving the children and grandchildren of the late Ramis’ Egon Spengler. But like a true legacy sequel, Ghostbusters: Afterlife still has room to pay homage to the original as well. One element from the old Ghostbusters movie that’s back for the new is the classic Ecto-1 vehicle, which has already been teased a lot in Afterlife trailers, and seems to be a big part of the new movie. A just released featurette focused on the father-son Reitman directing pair includes yet another look at the Ghostbusters’ car as it awaits a return to action. See the video in the space below:
The Ecto-1 first appears in the original Ghostbusters when the new ghostbusting team purchases a hearse that they soon outfit to become their official transportation. As Afterlife begins, the Ecto-1 has been stashed in an old barn under a tarp for decades when it’s rediscovered by the daughter and grandchildren of Spengler. As has already been seen in trailers, the Ecto-1 finds itself being spruced up and put back into action, with some new additions. The above video shows the famous vehicle looking very much in need of a wash after being hidden away for years.
The Ecto-1 is of course one of the most iconic vehicles in movie history. So if there’s going to be a new Ghostbusters movie that deals with the legacy of the original crew, the Ecto-1 certainly has to be involved. The new movie’s younger characters literally inheriting the Ecto-1 and fixing it up is actually a nice metaphor for how the younger Reitman is now inheriting his father’s franchise and trying to also spruce it up and make it shiny for a new generation. But what remains to be seen is how Ghostbusters: Afterlife will in fact advance the Ghostbusters brand. It’s clear the movie will succeed at paying tribute to the past, but what’s not clear is how it will establish a new legacy of its own. It’s possible of course that merely paying homage will be enough to make fans happy, especially after the 2016 reboot so badly missed the mark.
Source: Ghostbusters/YouTube
