Time for the sequel!
I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost!~
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Movie: Ghostbusters II
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Release date 1989
Genre Science-fiction/comedy
Country USA
Here's the second Ghostbusters!
The boys are back!
After the giant success of the first one as well as the animated series after that, The Real Ghostbusters, Columbia Pictures really wanted a sequel.
So of course, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman all returned to script and make this film a reality.
On the paper it sounded like "more Ghostbusters", nothing new really, but the real chemistry between the characters, the fantastic dialogues and screenplay made it a worthy sequel.
I know people tend to dislike it compared to the original these days.
But personally, Ghostbusters 2 is another classic favorite of mine despite all the flak it gets nowadays.
The story takes place five years after the events in Ghostbusters 1.
The way they handled Gozer was perhaps to efficient.
Without any ghosts around anymore, there's no need for Ghostbusters anymore.
The team disbanded and they are now all trying to make ends meet.
Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) is now a host for a TV show, "World of the Psychic".
Dr. Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) try to ride the last strides of popularity the Ghostbusters franchise if left with.
And Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) went back to teaching at the University.
The team has been sued "by every city, county, and state agency in New York" and thus prohibited from paranormal investigation.
Venkman's ex-girlfriend Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) comes back to Egon.
She has a problem, she's persuaded some ghosts are back to terrorize her and her son Oscar.
Actually, some much bigger problem is arising.
A new threat is trying to concentrate all the evil beneath the city to rise a ghostly army.
This time it's not a demi-God but a spirit. Vigo the Carpathian, a sorcerer and tyrant trapped in a painting.
Vigo the Cruel aka Vigo the Torturer, Vigo the Despised, and Vigo the Unholy!
Some familiar faces are back such as Annie Potts as Janine Melnitz.
Rick Moranis gets some more scenese as Louis Tully and even gets to shine in the climax of the story.
And let's not forget the new ones such as Peter MacNicol as Dr. Janosz Poha.
Ben Stein has a cameo this time.
Oh, speaking of cameos, even Slimer comes back as you'd expect.
Of course the first one would be better.
The problems in this film lay outside its control. Call it bad luck if most people either forgot Ghostbusters 2 or didn't see it.
The first Ghostbusters was really something unique. The surprise of the whole idea only works the first time.
But that aside, the sequel is probably one of my favorite if not one of the best sequels I've ever seen.
First of all, the cast is all back!
Well, only Walter Peck (William Atherton) didn't got to come back.
The sequel mostly follows the exact same structure as Ghostbusters 1.
But with lots more slime.
Still to this day, the river of slime underneath city looks simply amazing.
The special effects look great.
Industrial Light and Magic worked on the effects in Ghostbusters 2. And it really shows!
There's a lot of fun smaller character moments in Ghostbusters 2.
I really like the little we get to see in the beginning, the guys singing to make a buck now that the ghosts' craze is over.
The movie is bathed in popular culture (which is kinda fun how today, Ghostbusters are basically pop culture themselves).
I always loved the scene that showed the passengers of the Titanic finally coming home!
In the end, in a scene that doesn't just replicate the finale of the first film, but also tries to top it, the Ghostbustersget to control Statue of Liberty around the streets.
The spray it with loads of positive slime. And with the help from Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher" song and a NES Advantage controller arcade stick, they take control of Miss Liberty to get to Vigo.
Speaking of Vigo, Vigo's awesome.
So metal! (dat hair!)
The film does get some questionable changes.
With a successful cartoon in between, it's a lot more aimed at children than the first one. (nobody smokes this time around!)
The Ghostbusters is redesigned... and it doesn't make much sense in the film itself.
But, hey! Bill Murray is at his best, gotta love his trademark deadpan humor.
The film is really underrated in my eyes.
Slimer didn't get that big of a scene as you'd fear because of the cartoon.
I love the fact he's basically (un)living according to his own rules. He's the only ghost that isn't working for Vigo like all the others.
Musically, the movie's just as fantastic.
The Ghostbusters theme song by Ray Parker Jr. is back.
I really loved the role "Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson got in the film.
There's a lot of licensed music throughout the picture, such as "Flesh'n Blood" by Oingo Boingo.
And the musical score is from Randy Edelman this time. But his music is flawless.
He perfectly recaptured the Ghostbusters tone and offered his own new sets to the piece.
Overall, another hit!
Very underrated.
Perhaps one could say it is less inspired and it's not such a good thing how closer to cartoon it was compared to the original cult classic.
But with more ghosts, more Winston (yay, finally!), the Statue of Liberty's role in the plot and loads of slime, I honestly usually tend to remember this one more fondly.
Call it nostalgia.
Ghostbusters 2 proved to be a success despite its critisism at the time.
And apart from problems Bill Murray was posing at the time, you would except a film like this to warrant another sequel, alas...
Next time, the Ghostbusters videogames!
I give it:
2.5 / 3 UFOs!
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