Highlights
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife brings the heart back to the franchise with a wonderful legacy sequel that embraces the past while allowing for something new.
- The Real Ghostbusters is a colorful and kid-friendly animated series that showcases the Ghostbusters in adventurous situations.
- Ghostbusters 2 may lack the original’s charm and hilarity, but it still has its cheerworthy moments and chemistry between the characters.
Ghostbusters has been a beloved franchise for decades, and its legacy is not just carried by the iconic theme from Ray Parker Jr. all these years later. Ghostbusters has existed in many different forms over the years, from movies, TV shows, and video games, but which is the best Ghostbusters movie, and how does it rank among the others in the franchise? The series is no stranger to mixed outings, but that doesn’t mean these proton pack-wearing fools are without a place.
With the release of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hitting theaters in March 2024, audiences eagerly await the release and reception of the official Ghostbusters 4 to perhaps see where it stacks against every Ghostbusters movie and series before it.
6 Ghostbusters: Answer The Call (2016)
IMDb Score: 6.8/10
The long-awaited return to the Ghostbusters franchise was met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, in part due to the decision to reboot the series. Long gone seemed the days of Ghostbusters 3 with the original cast, especially with the tragic passing of Harold Ramis. Instead, audiences received a Ghostbusters movie that attempted to reinvent the franchise, but instead, only left fans craving what they had lost after 1989.
Ghostbusters: Answer The Call follows paranormal enthusiasts as they try to uncover and fix the ghost invasion of Manhattan. Whilst the cast has a somewhat electric chemistry, some of the jokes fail to land and the story lacks any real sense of gravitas, with most of the memorable parts of the movie being in part to the wasted cameos from the original cast and the lacking tease for Gozer the Gozerian.
5 The Real Ghostbusters (1986–1991)
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
The Ghostbusters return after the hit movie with 140 episodes of cartoons to enjoy. The Real Ghostbusters follows the original characters, but not with their respective actors. The show takes a more kid-friendly approach to the premise, and the six-year run allowed for some colorful antics in a cartoon format, showcasing the Ghostbusters in a position of adventure rather than pest extermination.
The Real Ghostbusters certainly has its fans, whether it’s the nostalgic value or just the joys of watching an animated show that doesn’t require religious experience with the source material or serialized episodes. For a cartoon, it’s fine, and audiences might enjoy seeing Slimer interact with the Ghostbusters as their pet and friend.
4 Extreme Ghostbusters (1997)
IMDb Score: 6.9/10
Still without a new Ghostbusters film, the franchise decided to introduce some fresh blood in the cartoon format with Extreme Ghostbusters, which acted as a follow-up to The Real Ghostbusters. In this series, Egon Spengler recruits a new team of Ghostbusters after seeing an influx of paranormal activity, thus bringing in a new and diverse cast of characters to battle it out with the dreaded ghosts of New York.
This new generation of Ghostbusters was a good fit for the late 90s, and it was a great show to tune into for Sunday morning viewers. The show was less goofy than its predecessor and embraced some more horror aspects, as well as character development and a focus on narrative growth. The different abilities and backgrounds of the Ghostbusters really make the cast shine as a new addition to the franchise.
3 Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
IMDb Score: 7.1/10
After 30 years, the original Ghostbusters timeline was back in action. Ghostbusters: Afterlife sets aside any anxieties that audiences might have that this is not Ghostbusters within the first five minutes, by not only showcasing the iconic piano keys and suspenseful opening but by bringing heart back into the series. Ghostbusters: Afterlife follows the story of a single mother and her two children as they attempt to settle into an old farmhouse inherited from her estranged father.
Within the farmhouse, the children discover the truth about their grandfather and uncover the fate of Egon Spengler and their association with the Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is a wonderful legacy sequel that embraces the past but allows for something new. Returning characters and actors are a tear-jerker, and there’s a mythical respect for the gadgets and stories that came before.
2 Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
IMDb Score: 6.6/10
Whilst not as beloved as the first, and seemingly not worth a sequel for over 30 years, Ghostbusters 2 does a great job and reintroducing audiences to the Ghostbusters. The chemistry between the characters is as fun as ever, even if the story doesn’t feel worthy of the crew this time around. Despite that, the jokes are still funny, and some cheerworthy moments can be found in Ghostbusters 2.
The story itself centers around the Ghostbusters as a failing business, but the originals are soon bound together again after a series of paranormal events involving slime threatening the city, and Peter Venkman’s love interest, Dana. Despite mixed reviews from back when, Ghostbusters 2 is a cult classic sequel, even if it does somewhat lack the original’s charm and hilarity in the premise alone.
1 Ghostbusters (1984)
IMDb Score: 7.8/10
It’s hard to beat the original, and in the case of Ghostbusters, that couldn’t be truer. Assembling a cast filled with hilarious talent, the original Ghostbusters movie was lightning in a bottle. Each character has a witty sense of charisma that allows for a fresh joke seemingly every minute, and some jokes can easily find themselves going over audiences’ heads. Even if one were to put aside the humor, the story of Ghostbusters is equally exciting and fun.
In essence, Ghostbusters follows three scientists who lose their jobs and decide to use their knowledge of the paranormal to start a pest control business dedicated to exterminating the supernatural in New York City. The film is filled to the brim with moments that quickly become iconic through both hilarity and excitement.
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