GHOSTBUSTERS II
*** (out of five stars)
A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis,
Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts and Peter MacNicol
Director-Ivan Reitman
Rated PG
Released 1989
Sony
Reviewed 1999
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton: http://Welcome.to/MovieViews
Ghostbusters still stands the test of time. The original is one of my
favorite films, mainly because: a) the jokes never get old; b) the
special effects and story-line remain interesting; and c) Bill Murray
delivers one of the finest comedic performances ever caught on the
silver screen. Ghostbusters II, the long-awaited continuation released
five years afterward, has been dismissed as yet another sequel that
didn’t live up to the original. But how could it? It must have been an
incredibly difficult task when Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis reunited and
attempted to duplicate the success of their first script. Ghostbusters
II is devoid of most of the clever details that made the first such a
complete joy, but it still manages to entertain with an amiable charm.
The four Ghostbusters - Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (Dan
Aykroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie
Hudson) - have separated, and chosen their individual paths. Peter,
although attaining his sarcastic and bitter tone, now hosts a cheesy and
low-rent TV series entitled “World of the Psychic”. Ray, when not
working at his Occult book shop, assists Winston in entertaining kids at
birthday parties (even though the groups yearn for He-Man). Egon
conducts tests involving human emotions and the effects of stress. The
group is reunited when Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), the possessed
apartment dweller from the first, asks them to investigate a strange
occurrence involving her 8-month old baby and a runaway carriage.
They discover, after some illegal drilling, that a huge river of slime
is flowing under the city. Not only that, but there is also a demonic
painting at the city museum containing a deceased Carpathian god who
wants to join the party. The Ghostbusters once again team up, with the
help of their prickly secretary Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) and taxing
accountant Louis Tully (Rick Moranis), to save New York and attempt to
cause less damage than their first heroic stand.
Ghostbusters II is not particularly well-written. Things that were
clever and engaging in the first film seem occasionally forced and silly
when attempted here. With most of the fresh ghostbusting gags used up,
there is a lot of squandered opportunities. However, there are still
some funny lines scattered about. Murray still manages to shine even in
the absence of great material, and the film is single-handedly saved by
the performances. I enjoyed the directions chosen for Moranis’
character, and Peter MacNicol is very funny as an eccentric art guru who
works at the museum.
Those who enjoyed the original may be disappointed by the sequel’s
apparent lack of freshness. Ramis and Aykroyd have attempted to rehash
the finale from the first, replacing the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man (a
classic) with the Statue of Liberty walking through the streets of New
York. Of course, little in Ghostbusters II ever reaches the brilliance
of the film that preceded it, but most of the paranormal hijinks succeed
in entertaining the viewer. The plot is pretty ridiculous (mood slime?)
and poorly assembled, but not everything here is a total bust. Some of
the banter between Ray and Egon is even quirkier than in Ghostbusters,
as when they tie everything together:
Ray - Do you think there is some relation between this Vigo character
and the slime?
Egon - Is the atomic weight of Cobalt 58.9? (If you’re confused, that
means “yes”.)
It is a lesser sequel, that’s definite, but it remains an entertaining
alternative. There are surely worse things to do then revisit this story
of a group of paranormal exterminators and their adventures in
ghostbusting. It certainly doesn’t make you loathe the entire existence
of Ghostbusters, but encourages you to appreciate the original even
more, while reviving some great childhood memories in the process.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
MOVIE VIEWS by Jamey Hughton: http://Welcome.to/MovieViews
.......................
Have I Seen This Movie: Yes
And What Did I Think?: Ghostbusters II doesn't quite measure up to its predecesor, but its still fun to watch. Five years have passed since they saved the city, and they kind of lost all respect since then, and never even got paid for the job! Well they have to do it once more since a new threat by the way of "mood slime" threatens the city now. Dana, played once again by Sigourney Weaver has a baby now, and the demon behind all this havoc wants to be born again through her baby and take over the world. Well the 4 Ghostbusters have to put a stop to that of course. This movie doesn't really give us anything new, and the premise is even more silly then the first one. Slime that is affected by people's negative emotions... sure, ok. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis & Ernie Hudson are all good once again. At least this time Ernie Hudson has better lines and more to do in this movie. The addition of Peter MacNicol (Of Ally McBeal) as Janosz provides a little extra comedy relief now. He took over the nerdy admirer of Dana that Rick Moranis played in the first one. This movie might have been better if it had given us something more different or the premise was a little easier to swallow, but fans who loved the first one shouldn't be too disappointed with this. There's also the flury of rumors for the past couple years that Ghostbusters 3 will be made, but whether that happens or not remains to be seen.
I give Ghostbusters II 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Review written September 22, 1999
