Released in 1984, Ghostbusters was an instant hit, making almost $300 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. With its success, the studio immediately wanted a sequel, but there was some hesitation from the cast and crew. Following the film’s success, the studio teamed up with animation studio DIC Enterprises to produce The Real Ghostbusters in 1986. Despite some confusion with a preexisting cartoon, the series was also a hit, prompting the team to reconsider a sequel. Reitman returned to direct, while Aykroyd and Ramis returned to write and star alongside Murray, Weaver, Hudson, Moranis, and Potts. Since the cartoon was popular with kids, they decided to make the sequel more child-friendly as opposed to the original. Columbia was pushing for the sequel since their last few releases flopped, giving this a $37 million budget. Finally, five years after the original, Ghostbusters II was released in the summer of 1989.
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Synopsis
Following the events of the first film, the Ghostbusters have disbanded after being sued for property damage by the city. However, when her baby’s carriage rolls by itself onto an intersection, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) turns to them for help. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) investigate, discovering an underground river of slime. Unfortunately, they’re arrested and tried for illegal supernatural investigation, but they’re released after capturing some death row ghosts. Meanwhile, Janosz Poha (Peter MacNicol), Dana’s boss at the museum, is enslaved by the spirit of Vigo the Carpathian. Turns out Vigo is getting power from the slime, which is feeding off all the negative emotions in New York. His ultimate plan is to be reborn, so he orders Janosz to kidnap Dana’s baby so he can possess him. With the city in danger, it’s up to the Ghostbusters once again.
Review
Following up a landmark film like Ghostbusters was no small task, so Ghostbusters II had plenty to live up to. While it isn’t quite on par with the original, the sequel still manages to retain its charm and humor. Everyone in the main cast, from the Ghostbusters to Dana, Louis, and Janine, all do a fantastic job. Newcomer MacNicol as fun as the eccentric Janosz and Kurt Fuller does well filling in for William Atherton. Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis still have their signature comedic timing, and Hudson gets more to do and say here. The mood slime is a great concept and helps share a message to be nicer and friendlier to one another. There are some fun highlights to be had, including the courtroom scene and the Statue of Liberty scene. Plus, Vigo makes for a good villain, especially with Max Von Sydow providing the voice.
I think the film’s biggest problems are two-fold: they waited too long and they tried making it too kid-friendly. Though it was popular thanks to the merchandising and cartoon, audiences seemed to lose interest and wanted something different. It doesn’t help that this sequel repeats some of the same plot points from the original almost verbatim. Also, in trying to capitalize on the same audience as the cartoon, they lose much of the first one’s edge. Aside from Vigo and the Scoleri Brothers, all the other ghosts are too goofy and silly to be taken seriously. That said, much like the first film, the effects here are fantastic, especially with ILM handling a majority of them. On the whole, the movie certainly has its flaws, but it’s nowhere near as bad as some critics have said. Overall, Ghostbusters II is an underrated sequel that deserves more credit than it gets.
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