New Ghostbusters: Afterlife Action Figure Two-Pack Is Disturbing On A Number Of Levels
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is in theaters now, doing decent numbers at the box office. While some have found a decent amount to enjoy, others (like yours truly) walked away disappointed and unsettled by the film's third act being stuffed with nostalgia and a handful of other questionable decisions. Now that the movie is out there, Hasbro has revealed a new action figure two-pack inspired from the movie that aims to pay tribute to one of the key moments from the film's finale. Even if you can look past the egregious existence of the scene itself, the framing of this particular scene in toy form adds a new layer of concern to the proceedings. You can see what we're talking about below, but beware that this comes with a huge spoiler for "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."
The Family That Does What Together?!
"Ghostbusters: Afterlife" prominently features the ghost of Egon Spengler in the film's climax, offering his help to his granddaughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), the rest of the Spengler family, and the return of the original Ghostbusters as they deal with the return of the Sumerian god known as Gozer the Gozerian. While the scene has been a sentimental, nostalgic tribute to the late Harold Ramis for some fans, for others, including yours truly, it feels like an unearned and morally questionable scene meant to pull at heart strings without the substance to back it up. But creating an action figure of a digital recreation of a beloved late actor isn't the weirdest thing about this.
Just look at the branding for this "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" action figure two-pack as revealed by Hasbro Pulse:
Hasbro
It says, "The Family That Busts Together." Yiiiiikes. Yes, any fan knows that they're referring to busting ghosts, but that phrasing is unfortunate to say the least, especially when it comes to action figures of a grandfather and granddaughter. Did no one at Hasbro or Sony Consumer Products think this through?
Meanwhile, back in the slightly less disturbing part of this "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" merchandise, this plastic recreation of the ghost of Egon Spengler doesn't look very good at all. While the transparent blue of the figure does a decent job of bringing the spiritual element of the character to life, the paint job that adds some aging, gray hair makes Egon look like Daniel Stern as Marv in "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" after he's been put through the wringer by Kevin McCallister. Just look:
20th Century Fox
I ain't afraid of no ghost, but I'm more than scared of this figure and the implications that come with it. For everyone else who won't hesitate to buy this, the figures come with a PKE meter in taser mode, a chess piece, a jar of fungus, a proton pack that you can take apart, and the head of a Terror Dog. The "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" two-pack will be available as a Target exclusive starting on November 28.