Ghostbusters II (1989)

Director: Ivan Reitman

Writers: Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis

Composer: Randy Edelman

Starring: Bill Murray, dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol, Harris Yulin, David Margulies, Kurt Fuller, Janet Margolin, Cheech Marin, Brian Doyle-Murray, Philip Baker Hall, Max von Sydow, Wilhelm von Homburg

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Be ready to believe us.

Plot: The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.

My rating: 5.5/10

Will I watch it again? No.

Here's an example of a movie being made not because the original film's team felt that it had to be made but because a lot of the cast and crew wanted another summer home.  I saw this in '89 in the theater and I really didn't like it.  I held off giving it another shot until now and I feel the same way.  The story is ridiculous and there are way too many callbacks to the original film as if a sequel has to constantly reference where it came from.  I liked that all four of the guys had been faced with countless lawsuits in between films and they all ended up doing other things.  That's about all I liked.  Bill Murray tries but the material only gives him and the others so little to work with.  It's the story and script that's the weakest link.  If the story were stronger I think this could have been a much better film.  Composer Elmer Bernstein was absent for this picture and it shows.  He's sorely missed.  I like Edelman a lot but not hearing Bernstein's sound just made this flick even sadder.  I don't want to beat a dead horse any longer.  This is just one big missed opportunity that shouldn't have happened.  At least we'll always have GHOSTBUSTERS (1984), the best horror/comedy this side of the Pecos.  As for the new Paul Fieg film?  I have reservations about it but not because it's going to be a reboot with female busters (I think it's a great idea, actually, and a refreshing one) but because the original '84 film is about is perfect as you can get.  Here's hoping they don't try and do what this sequel tried to do in referencing it to death.   The Columbia DVD for G2 is shit for extras.  All you get are two episodes from the TV cartoon show.  Really?  The FUCK, Columbia!