That is where the highly anticipated but underwhelming "Ghostbusters 2" failed. After the release of the divisive 2016 Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids", "Spy") helmed, female-centered "Ghostbusters", it became even more imperative that Sony makes the once-lucrative property fresh for audiences again. Take "Ghostbusters" back to the roots of what made the original film so appealing and memorable.

Rather than another standalone reboot, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" is joining the current Hollywood trend of picking up years after the previous installment. As if destiny itself came calling, Jason Reitman ("Juno", "Tully"), son of "Ghostbusters 1 and 2" director Ivan Reitman, is taking the reigns of the newest entry in the franchise.

"Afterlife" does not feel like the Ghostbusters that some fans and even average moviegoers have become familiar with. Another film centered around an aged Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson hobbling around New York City with canes for a whole film is not appealing. Nostalgia is not enough; there has to be a good story in place to warrant another adventure.

For starters, the action for this film is moved from mainstay Ghostbusters locale New York City to a creepy old farmhouse in a small town in Oklahoma, which arguably is an even better fit for a movie featuring ghosts. But that is exactly what it needs to be.

Playing it safe is where the highly anticipated but underwhelming "Ghostbusters 2" failed. Instead of expanding the world that was set up prior, the film was a tired retread of the first film with many of the same story beats and gags. With any feature film not even a new entry of a franchise, the audience should get a completely different experience from the last time.

There are not even any full glimpses of any ghosts in this first trailer. Additionally, aside from old TV footage, there are no glimpses of any of the remaining original Ghostbusters and supporting characters.

Though they have been confirmed to have roles in the film for months, the story should not be beholden to the old team. An acknowledgment and passing of the torch is well deserved, but this is no longer the story of the core members. But their influence will clearly be felt throughout the film.

As a touching tribute, "Afterlife" looks to incorporate the passing of Harold Ramis a.k.a. Egon Spengler, the brains of the Ghostbusters team (who co-wrote the original two films with Dan Aykroyd) into the narrative. Rather than completely ignoring one of the major contributors to the franchise, the lead characters of the film are Egon's own family consisting of "Stranger Things" alum Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace ("I Tonya", "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina"), and Carrie Coon ("Gone Girl", "The Leftovers").

Like "Ghostbusters", "Stranger Things" is a mildly humorous series that is very much steeped in horror but spotlights its main focus on the characters. The characters and the relationships displayed in the coming-of-age format, which "Afterlife" looks to be emulating, are what make "Stranger Things" so memorable and appealing. Not the Demagorgons.

"Ghostbusters" was never a film about the ghosts but rather the bumbling everyday people chasing the supernatural. The original "Ghostbusters" is a comedy through and through, but more than that is a film with horror elements that takes itself and the material seriously.

Villains Gozer the Gozerain, the Terror Dogs, and even Vigo the Carpathian from "Ghostbusters 2" were not played for laughs. The films were genuinely scary for the 1980s comedies starring some of the funniest comedians of that time.

Rather than the overdone trope of the old team teaching the new, Paul Rudd is stepping in as teacher Mr. Grooberson, who looks to be not only teaching his students Physics and Algebra but how to be the next generation of Ghostbusters.

Wolfhard and Grace have yet to be as established as the veterans Murray, Aykroyd, Ramis, or Hudson, but they are still two talented, young, rising stars. Given that "Ghostbusters Afterlife" is a success, expect Wolfhard and Grace to lead the films moving forward.

Jason Reitman is correctly taking the franchise back to basics by changing up the pre-existing formula, yet keeping what made "Ghostbusters" the classic it is well intact.