Have you ever had a family member that was difficult to be around? I had one that I won’t name despite her being dead for nearly a decade. She never had children but didn’t mind telling everyone how to raise theirs. No place was as nice or as well run or as friendly as the city she and her husband lived in. Once she got a computer, I and other family members would receive emails about conspiracy theories and spam we needed to forward so Microsoft could test their email platform and for our help, Bill Gates would pay each of us $5.00! I explained to her several times these were fake and a quick Google search would verify that. Of course, a quick Google search will also show you millions of other conspiracy theories and, to borrow a phrase, fake news. I kept my contact with this relative to a minimum for this and other reasons, and feel bad about that as she died alone, far from any family. For me, keeping a distance from toxic relatives is the best for my mental health. Separating from family is a big part of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” but it’s for the good of the extended family and the world.

Callie (Carrie Coon) is a struggling single mother in a big city. She has two children, Trevor and Phoebe (Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace), and very little money. Evicted from their apartment, the family moves to the recently vacated home of Callie’s absent father who recently died. The farm in the middle of nowhere in Summerville, Oklahoma, is run down and littered with junk cars and dilapidated out buildings. Trevor finds a job at a local diner in order to get close to one of the waitstaff, Lucky (Celeste O’Connor), while Phoebe is starting a summer school science class. Phoebe makes a friend with a kid nicknamed Podcast (Logan Kim) and is taught, loosely speaking, by Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd). Exploring the house, Phoebe finds an underground laboratory belonging to her grandfather. She is also being guided by the spirit of her dead grandfather, Dr. Egon Spengler, a Ghostbuster. Summerville is plagued by earthquakes despite not being near a fault line or volcano. Egon moved to this town for a reason, bringing much of his ghostbusting equipment with him. But his departure fractured the team. Is there a chance a new generation of Ghostbusters can defend Summerville and the rest of the world from a possible phantom apocalypse?

Director and co-writer Jason Reitman was walking a fine line by resurrecting the Ecto-1, proton packs and ghost traps for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” One need only look at the all-female 2016 “Ghostbusters,” directed and co-written by Paul Feig. The hate for that film began a year before it was released, fueled by misogyny and Internet troll angst over someone messing with the sacred cow of 1984’s original. The 2016 film had its issues (I enjoyed it) but didn’t deserve the hate it received. Jason Reitman has the benefit of being the son of 1984’s “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman. He also understands what the crowd for this film wants is a loving, if slavish, tribute to the original characters and story of the first film. Jason Reitman delivers for the fans.

Much like the story of “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens” rehashes the events of “A New Hope,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” reaches back to the original film for the most of its story. That isn’t a problem for me as it’s not revealed right off the bat. Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan take the time to introduce our new crew of reluctant Ghostbusters as they acclimate to their new surroundings. Expecting to be bored to death, Trevor and Phoebe quickly make friends. The younger Phoebe appears to be on the spectrum as she talks about not expressing her emotions on the outside and is encouraged by her mother to try being more outgoing to make friends. This works with the quirky Podcast who makes a podcast that has only one subscription and, according to the young man, really finds its voice in episode 46. The characters are a collection of misfits and outcasts that eventually makes a team and a family of their own, much like the original crew did almost 40 years earlier.

Some of the critics are slamming the film for being a shameless appeal to our need for comfort and familiarity, mining the goodwill of the original two films. While it’s not the most original movie to be released this year, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is like a warm blanket, wrapping the audience familiar with the originals in all the good feelings of those films while giving us a new set of characters to know and love.

Stealing most of the scenes he’s in, Logan Kim’s Podcast is a delight. He’s written far more smartly than his youth deserves, and I didn’t care. He’s a breath of fresh air in what could have been a dull and morose coming of age story with some ghosts and demons thrown in.

I also enjoyed Mckenna Grace as the smart and awkward Phoebe. Her fearless pursuit of knowledge and willingness to fight for her beliefs is a rare example of a strong, young female role model. Phoebe doesn’t need weapons or martial arts to express her strength. Her mind is her best weapon, and she wields it to protect her family. It’s a sweet and powerful performance.

Carrie Coon and Paul Rudd are both great. Coon plays Callie as bitter towards her absentee father and her lot in life but loving toward her children. She can be biting and sarcastic but quickly warms when her kids are involved. Paul Rudd is very Paul Rudd; sweet, charming, goofy and funny. It’s not going to win him an acting Oscar, but Rudd is very watchable in the film.

The effects are a combination of practical and computer generated, and they all look great. They are designed to look like the original movies, and it adds to the feeling of nostalgia. The music is also reminiscent of the first films, with many of the themes from Elmer Bernstein’s original score and Ray Parker, Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” theme song used. Many aspects of the film are designed to remind you of the originals. It might be manipulative, but I found it entertaining.

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is rated PG-13 for supernatural action and some suggestive references. This isn’t a Blumhouse film, so there’s not much scary about the spirits, demons and monsters shown in the film. They are only frightening by implication. The suggestive references are very mild. There is some scattered mild foul language.

There are a few things I found puzzling about “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” Phoebe understands the workings of a proton pack despite only discovering it seconds earlier. Gary tinkers with opening a sealed ghost trap despite knowing all about the Ghostbuster’s adventures in New York City in 1984 and knowing there’s probably something evil inside it. Everyone seems far to calm about the weirdness going on in Summerville despite the sudden appearance of ghosts and demons. I could go on, but this falls into the category of me thinking too much about stuff. I know this film isn’t perfect, but I found it entertaining. It makes a strong play for fans of the original films while setting up a possible continuation of the franchise. In that regard, the film has a mid-credits and a post-credits scene. One is pure fan service, while the second suggests there’s more to come. Only time, and the box office, will tell if there’s still life in the spirits of the dead, and if bustin’ still makes you feel good.

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” gets four stars out of five.

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