Ghostbusters II (1989) Review

"Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given right!"
-Mayor Lenny Clotch



Five years after the events of the first film, the Ghostbusters have gone out of business after being sued by the government.  Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) owns an occult store and has a side gig as a children's entertainer with Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson).  Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) is back working in a laboratory.  Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) hosts a pseudo-psychic TV show and has broken up with Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), who has gotten married, had a kid, and gotten divorced.  After her son is involved in a paranormal experience, Dana calls on the Ghostbusters to investigate, and they quickly discover that New York City is once again in danger, and only they can save the city.


What Works:

Ghostbusters II brings back the entire cast from the first film.  Everyone I mentioned above, plus Rick Moranis and Annie Potts.  The cast is the biggest strength of this film as they all have great chemistry.  Not all of the jokes land in this movie, but the ones that do land solely because of the cast's chemistry.  And it's really fun to watch them interact with one another.

There is one scene in this movie that is played more scary than funny.  Egon, Ray, and Winston all go down into a dark tunnel beneath the city.  They start goofing around making echoes with their voices.  It's all fun and games until Winston's voice doesn't echo back.  Instead, we hear something monstrous calling his name, and suddenly the Ghostbusters are surrounded by decapitated heads.  It's not full on scary by any means, but it's creepy and it's really the only moment like it in this series.  It stands out, but in a positive way.


What Sucks:

The story in this movie just sucks.  It's sooooooooo boring and unoriginal.  The Ghostbusters have to save New York City again from a spooky ghost.  Only this time there is no Zuul, no Gozer, and no Stay Puff Marshmallow Man.  It's just not memorable.  

A lot of the jokes don't work.  Most of them fall flat, and the writing in general is uninspired.  

My final problem is that this movie doesn't make sense.  The Ghostbusters saved New York from ghosts the first time.  Everyone saw it and there was concrete evidence of these events.  Why, all of a sudden, does everyone not believe in ghosts?  A lot of the characters in this movie are jerks to the Ghostbusters, or out to get them, and it doesn't make sense.  These guys are heroes.  Why did the government sue them?  Why don't people believe in ghosts in the face of hard evidence?  Why was this movie made?


Verdict:

I love this cast, but man does Ghostbusters II suck.  It has a few funny moments and one creepy scene, but this movie is so unmemorable and nonsensical that it wasn't much fun to watch.  I would rather watch the cast hanging out on set than watch this movie.  


 3/10: Lackluster 

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