Nobody can ever be happy, can they? Nothing is good enough for the internet mobs, the tired and unwashed masses wasting away on Twitter daily. They’re always mad about something, and Ghosbusters: Afterlife is currently that something. I mean, we all knew people were going to be pissed about this film’s mere existence. But now, ever since the trailer dropped this morning, we’re seeing a complaint that I’d not anticipated: apparently, this new Ghostbusters flick is a Stranger Things rip-off.
Yes, Twitter is blowing up with that odd take. Most people offer no back-up though aside from shallow, almost infantile comparisons and if you think I’m making this stuff up, just look at some of the tweets below:
Just watched the new Stranger Things season trailer, and it's called 'Ghostbusters' for some reason.
— 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕜 👉 @darickr.bsky.social (@DarickR) December 9, 2019
The new Ghostbusters movie is gonna be a Stranger Things ripoff.
— #FreePeng #FreeCharlene (@K8_T_Kat) December 9, 2019
maybe we shouldn't be making any more ghostbusters movies, ever
— Gordon1470 (@gordon1470) December 9, 2019
So it's a Stranger Things ripoff and not a Ghostbusters movie? At least lady Ghostbusters tried to be a Ghostbusters movie. https://t.co/NKDVQxOJJd
— üllar jörberg ecofascist 🕊🌍🇦🇿🇦🇷🇬🇷🇪🇸🇭🇹 (@conspiracystuf2) December 9, 2019
Two 30somethings at a random Starbucks: “what if they did like Stranger Things but it’s Ghostbusters. Get like Paul Rudd or something. Everyone likes him.”
Jason Reitman one table over: *spits out coffee* https://t.co/zufGwdhsTy
— Dave Feeley (@dfeeley413) December 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/ian_yyc/status/1204066944527282177
Stranger Things + Ghostbusters is probably a smart play but the trailer def didn't feel like Ghostbusters
— Running with Dragonballs (@el_chiclets) December 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/kylefrost/status/1204066746920882176
Some of these takes are literal hot garbage and I personally did not get any sort of Stranger Things vibes from that debut teaser. Granted, I didn’t get many vibes at all, as Ghostbusters 2016, as well as Sony’s cash-grabbing abilities as a whole, tend to make me inherently weary of their cinematic output.
I want to know why these people think that it’s a ripoff, though. I feel like a lot of these reactions come from Finn Wolfhard’s appearance, which is just dumb. He’s a white-hot young actor right now and as such, he’s a shoo-in for a Teen Ghostbuster. Just because a project shares a star doesn’t mean they’re similar at all.
Also, calling Paul Rudd Hopper? Really? How? Because he’s…old? A mentor and maybe father figure? I highly doubt it, nerds. These comparisons are just so shallow and baseless and many come from tiny little accounts with few-to-no likes or retweets. I’m glad that overall, at least, people seem to be either leaving the trailer alone or just acknowledging its existence. I don’t exactly think the movie is going to reinvent the wheel or capture half the energy we saw with the original, but Ghostbusters: Afterlife certainly won’t be a Stranger Things ripoff, that’s for sure.