Cryptic Meg

This week I’ve been snowed under with work – mainly writing a document to allow me to transfer officially from the MPhil track to the PhD track. This involves writing the first chapter of my thesis – which is exciting to get started on, but hard work! I haven’t had much free time on my hands, but I did still prioritise going to the cinema one evening to get some downtime – so it’s another film post from me today, about Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

I wasn’t born when the first Ghostbusters film came out in 1984, but my dad was a fan, so when my sister and I were old enough we got Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II on DVD and we watched them. A lot. The first film in particular is one of those films that’s imprinted on my consciousness, and the lines etched into my brain (it is eminently quotable). When it transpired that my husband had never seen them, we ordered a box set for his education (although he still hasn’t seen the second film because the DVD didn’t work). In 2016 we watched the female reboot Ghostbusters: Answer The Call and (unlike a lot of people, it would seem) we thought it was great. So there was plenty of reason for me to be excited about another Ghostbusters film.

Tonight we went to a different cinema. (This is an aside, but the cinema trip is all part of the film experience). It was the release day for Spider-Man: No Way Home (next on our cinematic agenda) and our usual Vue cinema was showing nothing else. So we went to Cineworld instead. My only previous experience of going there was when we went a couple of years ago to see Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker in 4D. I enjoyed the film, but did not enjoy the 4D experience – I found that the seat regularly punching me in the back distracted me from the film rather than immersing me in it! I hadn’t got the best impression of this cinema on that occasion, but was willing to give it another go this week.

My memories were all confirmed by the experience tonight – our usual cinema is superior in every aspect! How so? Let me count the ways…

• It’s cheaper. The ticket costs are the same but the booking fee was higher tonight, and we had to pay for parking.
• It’s… less scary! The cinema we went to tonight was busy, loud, and lit by multi-coloured neon strip lighting. My husband commented that it felt more like a theme park experience. Our usual cinema has just your classic, boring, no-danger-of-over-stimulation foyer. I think perhaps Cineworld is targeting a younger audience (than my grand old age of… 28).
• The popcorn is better, specifically the packaging (yes I know, we’re really getting to the important issues here). Tonight, instead of our usual sturdy cardboard cartons with hygienic cardboard lids, we had open crackly bags that betrayed our every movement.
• The seats are better. Much better. Tonight’s seats were extremely snug, with no leg room, no little table, and no mechanism for tilting the seat back and the footrest up (I’m used to the finer things now). In fact, the seat just tilted back as soon as you even slightly leaned on it. I spent the whole film sitting bolt upright for fear of accidentally leaning against the seat and not knowing how far back into the abyss it would tip me.

I did have a moment of hope at the refreshments counter when I thought I might be able to get a sour apple flavoured slushie (my favourite flavour and my favourite medium) – but my hopes were dashed because, despite it swirling gloriously and temptingly green in front of me, apparently if was off. To draw this analysis to a conclusion, let me make a niche recommendation to you: if you’re in Plymouth and want to go to the cinema, go to the Vue!

OK, now that’s off my chest… the film. It’s quite simple really – I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a nostalgia fest in every sense – with music, lines, characters and storylines lifted straight from the original film and a distinctively 80s feel. But the special effects were updated (the ghosts looked the same – they just moved a lot better!), and it was fantastic to see a diverse cast. I particularly enjoyed the celebration of science by the 12-year-old female lead (my new role model) and a very touching homage to Harold Ramis at the end. It all made me feel warm inside – which made up for the less comfortable cinema experience, and was a welcome break from a week of hard work.