The new Ghostbusters: Afterlife trailer is now out, but it’s not getting universal love from fans. Of all the issues that Ghostbusters fans are taking umbrage with, one that seems to stand out enough to become a trending topic is the fact that Afterlife’s trailers don’t seem to offer much in the way of humor. The original Ghostbusters film was built around the comedic hijinks of director Ivan Reitman and a powerhouse cast of top-notch comedic minds, such as Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Bill Murray.
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Admittedly, Ivan Reitman’s son Jason Reitman is known more for dramedy (Juno, Up In The Air) than blockbuster comedy. However, based on fan reactions, one has to hope that Sony and Jason Reitman made sure to include ample laughs in Ghostbusters: Afterlife…
Remember The Times?
lol, remember when Ghostbusters was a comedy? https://t.co/eCtFSWSrNq
โ Jamie Lovett (@JamieLovett) July 27, 2021
Comicbook.com’s Jamie Lovett wonders if we remember a world whereย Ghostbustersย was still a horror-comedy franchise. Maybe 2020 truly changed everything…ย
Will Your Park Have Dinosaurs?
“Ah, now you do plan to eventually have jokes in your Ghostbusters movie, right?” pic.twitter.com/T0TUREZFgN
โ Jacob deNobel (@Jacob_deNobel) July 27, 2021
Epic franchise crossover.ย Thisย Jurassic Parkย meme has us #Dead.ย
A Comedy? Or Just Paul Rudd?
Another Ghostbusters trailer where Iโm 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?
โ The Marvelous Da7๏ธโฃe Gonzales (@Da7e) July 27, 2021
The fact that every humorous moment inย Ghostbusters: Afterlife’sย trailers belong to Paul Rudd is an ominous sign that he may be theย onlyย comedic relief in this movie.ย
Serious Legacy
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*
โ ๐ฆCdre daniel the evil pan gay (is nice rly) (@jkmurcury9) July 27, 2021
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.
Could Jason Reitman’s deeply serious love of his father and his legacy ultimately hurt the new Ghostbustersย more than it helps the franchise?ย
That’s The Joke
Never thought there’d be a Ghostbusters movie with no jokes. Maybe that is the joke.
โ Trashcan Man Respecter (@corgzone) July 27, 2021
Maybe Ghostbusters: Afterlife is going meta?ย
For The (Old) Culture
An artifact of the lag time of features vs. TV is that the decision to make the new Ghostbusters an Amblin-esque kids’ adventure was made at the height of Stranger Things mania but now that cultural moment has mostly passed & you have people saying “Why isn’t this a comedy?”
โ Zack Stentz (@MuseZack) July 27, 2021
There may be more tragic truth to this tweet than a lot ofย Ghostbustersย fans may want to admit.ย Stranger Thingsย has been off for a while now, and the new season won’t arrive until 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic delay may have really used up a lot of the cultural relevance that Reitman was going for.ย
Not My Ghostbusters
Nothing makes me think “Ghostbusters” like a trailer with a deeply reverential tone and *absolutely no jokes*.
โ Stephen Geigen-Miller (@Stephen_GM) July 27, 2021
If inspiring the nostalgic feel of the originalย Ghostbustersย was the goal here, it may not have been accomplished.ย
Did You See Ghostbusters?
Had to double check because I couldnโt 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
โ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ฃ (@tamsincleary) July 27, 2021
It doesn’t get stated enough:ย Ghostbustersย was a bawdyย comedy-horror movie, with a lot of dirty jokes.ย Even ifย Ghostbusters: Afterlifeย has jokes, it technically wouldn’t be enough to equate to the original.ย
Respect 2016
Had to double check because I couldnโt 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
โ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ฃ (@tamsincleary) July 27, 2021
Suddenlyย Ghostbustersย fans are taking a second look at that 2016 female-led reboot. At least it had jokes. However, not everyone is mad that thisย Afterlifeย trailer isn’t a joke fest.ย
I Like This
Ghostbusters Afterlife not being a full blown comedy is the best direction it couldโve gone. Otherwise all of its jokes would just be compared to the other 3 movies. However now itโs gone into a different direction while still respecting the legacy of the originals
โ ๐Ethan Beetle๐ (@ectoeva) July 27, 2021
One brave loner stands against the Twitter tide and tries not to get swept away…