Throwback Thursday Review: 'Ghostbusters 2'

Sorry for the late review as I watch both Ghostbusters 2 and Swiss Army Man Thursday and really felt Swiss Army Man was worth raving about, so I prioritized that review. This week brings with it the much talked about 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, so I found it only appropriate to review the pre-existing Ghostbusters films by shedding light on how I perceived Ghostbusters 2. Next week will see the release of Star Trek Beyond so I will review that and as a Throwback Thursday Review will review Star Trek Into Darkness and the following week Jason Bourne is being released so I will finish out my series of Bourne reviews with The Bourne Legacy.

'Ghostbusters 2' Review

In 1984 Ghostbusters took the world by storm, and became a phenomena so it only makes sense that a sequel would be a great idea. And I'm sure it was from a business standpoint, but the execution falls flat. Ghostbusters 2 picks up five years after the original, the team are supposed phonies again and have gone their separate ways while remaining in contact with one another. After a series of events the team must again unite to protect the city from ghosts. and the plot is basically the same of that in Ghostbusters only sloppily executed.

The one strength of the film is it's effects, and even those are half as great as the effects in the original because at least those held up to a degree. The screenplay crafted by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis feels like a regurgitation of their writing for the original with less charm. The dialogue is cheesier, the stakes feel lower, and the plot is just ridiculous.

The entire film rides on purple ooze fueled by the hatred of New Yorkers so to defeat it the Ghostbusters must invoke a positive spirit across the city. Yes, it's that dumb. And it didn't help that the film wasn't very funny either as I hardly even chuckled throughout the one hour fifty minute runtime. I couldn't even rely on the "Ghostbusters" song to put a smile on my face as this film features a cover of it that was lacking compared to the original.

Ivan Reitman helms the sequel and unfortunate isn't able to recreate the magic that occurred in 1984. What saves the flick from being a true disaster is that they were able to reunite the cast of the original and even they are half-baked versions of their former selves. Bill Murray's charisma wasn't enough this time as he's merely a more arrogant version of Dr. Peter Venkman. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis inject the same cowardly and geeky personas to Dr. Raymond Stantz and Dr. Egon Spengler respectively failing to bring anything different to their characters. Ernie Hudson is faintly seen or heard once again as Winson Zeddmore but he brings a few laughs with his limited dialogue. 

Sigourney Weaver's Dana Barrett feels more flat as she's written to be a fairly one-dimensional over concerned mother as she passes the damsel in distress to Barrett's baby son for him to be the fellow in fear. Annie Potts is a more sexualized version of the catty secretary she brought in Ghostbusters while Rick Moranis is even more of a wimp and he brings the best moments in Ghostbusters 2.

Sequels rarely live up to the original and sadly Ghostbusters 2 doesn't either. What went wrong with Ghostbusters 2 is a mystery, but I can tell that in all departments the team responsible weren't spirited enough to even try to make a decent followup.

Film Assessment: D-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Ghostbusters' (1984)

This week I'm reviewing the original Ghostbusters (1984) in the leadup to next weekend's Ghostbusters reboot and next Thursday will be reviewing Ghostbusters 2 so I will have reviewed all the Ghostbusters films released thus far as Sony currently has plans for a Ghostbusters shared cinematic universe. The following week I will review Star Trek Into Darkness to coincide with Star Trek Beyond's release and the next week will finish out my review of Bourne reviews with a Throwback Thursday Review of The Bourne Legacy correlating with the release of Jason Bourne. In the meantime, reviews you can expect in the following weeks include The Legend of Tarzan, The Secret Life Of Pets, Ghostbusters, Star Trek Beyond, and Jason Bourne at the very least.

'Ghostbusters' (1984) Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song "Ghostbusters" (written by Ray Parker Jr.). 

In 1984 a new pop culture phenomena was born with the summer release of Ghostbusters. What makes it a phenomena? I'm sure if I asked the question "Who you gonna call?" many would instantly retort "Ghostbusters!" thanks to the catchy lyrics of the haunting memorable Academy Award nominated song from Ray Parker Jr. and that's certainly some evidence that the film was a hit.

Ghostbusters finds three scientists embarking to become paranormal exterminators after they've been deemed charlatans by the university funding them. After a successful capture of a grotesque green ghost, the ghost-bustin' service begins to resonate with the public and rockets the scientists into unseen heights of popularity. However the Ghostbusters must prepare for the worst when supernatural forces invade New York City.

The mystic comedy is directed and produced by Ivan Reitman and Reitman was able to bring both a psychic supernatural aura and lighthearted fun to the film making for a very interesting mesh of tone and genre. Reitman works well with his amusing ensemble and screenwriting duo of Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (two of the actual Ghostbusters and prominent characters) to fabricate a humorous turn of events with some witty one-liners.

The visual effects and production design also bring a great deal of fun to the procedures with whacky ghosts ranging from the freakish emerald ghost Slimer to the ginormous Stay Puft Marshmallow Man that look quite authentic. The effects overall surprisingly held up nicely with only a few dated special effects sequences and even those weren't bad. The film may not have much of an actual score, the song "Ghostbusters" is just a hoot all around thanks to some poppy synth, a catchy tune, and lyrics everyone is familiar with.

The film's magic originates with the talented cast. Bill Murray leads the proceedings as Dr. Peter Venkman, a womanizing parapsychology professor out to make a quick buck and hopefully a female companion. Murray gets the best material out of the bunch of Ghostbusters and shines throughout thanks to his great comedic talents. His chemistry opposite the other Ghostbusters and Sigourney Weaver's damsel in distress Dana Barrett is electric as all the actors work brilliantly off one another bringing along some great character dynamics for the ride.

Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis' roles are smaller than one would expect given the two wrote the blockbuster but both are terrific in their own right as the cowardly Dr. Raymond Stantz and geeky Dr. Egon Spengler respectively. Ernie Hudson fills out the core cast as the fourth Ghostbuster Winston Zeddmore, the "Average Joe" of the group who's incentivized by making a quick buck, and while he may be added into the foregoing events later than the others, Hudson manages to make his own lasting mark. It's very noticeable that he has the least material and screen time of the cast and even gets nearly last billing which I speculate is a result of racial undertones of the 80's.

As for the supporting players, Sigourney Weaver is an interesting love interest as Dana Barrett opposite Murray's Venkman given she doesn't fall for his charm initially, while Annie Potts is a convincing reserved receptionist, Rick Moranis plays a wimpy creep, and William Atherton is a pesky EPA inspector. While Ghostbusters primarily puts Bill Murray in the spotlight, the other actors prove their worth with memorable characters that will put a smile on your face.

Ghostbusters may not be a perfect movie, but it's certainly a classic comedy with great comedic talent from it's amusing cast, great direction, witty one-liners, and nice special effects. Anytime I need a good paranormal chuckle, I know exactly who I'm gonna call, 1984's Ghostbusters.

Film Assessment: A-