Ghostbusters Collection

Comedy

Fantasy

Ghostbusters II

Columbia Pictures

United States of America

English

Bill Murray

Dan Aykroyd

Sigourney Weaver

Harold Ramis

Rick Moranis

Ernie Hudson

Annie Potts

Peter MacNicol

Harris Yulin

David Margulies

Kurt Fuller

Janet Margolin

Wilhelm von Homburg

William T. Deutschendorf

Henry J. Deutschendorf II

Michael P. Moran

Olivia Ward

Mordecai Lawner

Susanna Boehm

Mary Ellen Trainor

Christopher Villaseñor

Jason Reitman

Aaron Lustig

Page Leong

Mark Schneider

Valery Pappas

Catherine Reitman

Dave Florek

Richard Foronjy

George P. Wilbur

Sharon Kramer

Walter Flanagan

Bobby Brown

Christopher Neame

Judy Ovitz

Tom Dugan

Angelo Dimascio

Robert Alan Beuth

Ralph Monaco

Ron Cummins

Cheech Marin

Yvette Cruise

John Hammil

Ray Glanzmann

Alex Zimmerman

Brian Doyle-Murray

Louise Troy

Douglas Seale

Ben Stein

Erik Holland

Philip Baker Hall

Steve Baker

Trish Cook

Kevin Dunn

Ryan Francis

Tyra Reneé Fuller

Jim Fyfe

George Gerard

Donna Guidry

Tim Lawrence

Peter Papageorgio

Kariim Ratcliff

Ivan Reitman

Ira S. Rosenstein

Felix Silla

Max von Sydow

Chloe Webb

Justin Michael Woods

Michael Chapman

Danny Aiello III

Randy Edelman

Billy D. Lucas

Jon Curtis Price

Lane Leavitt

Steven Lambert

Richard E. Butler

John Dods

Bob Minor

Michael Chinich

Jo Martin

Stephen Abrums

Gandhi Bob Arrollo

Gloria Gresham

Frank Bianco

John M. Elliott Jr.

Bo Welch

Tom Duffield

Cheryl Carasik

Peggy Semtob

Marlene D. Williams

Erik Cord

Janet Healy

David M. Ice

Chris Jargo

Robert Edesa

Donn Cambern

Sheldon Kahn

Dennis Muren

Peter Giuliano

Greg John Callas

Nick Navarro

G. Tony Scarano

Bruce Foster

Fred Judkins

Joel Kramer

Oda Groeschel

Richard Hoffenberg

Tom C. McCarthy

Pamela Cederquist

Michael Genne

Leslie J. Kovacs

Bruce McBroom

Peter Afterman

Greg Papalia

Bill MacSems

William A. Petrotta

Burton Weinstein

Rick Heinrichs

Richard Friedman

Solange S. Schwalbe

Pamela Easley

Ed Mirassou

Don S. Walden

Faye Brenner

Steve Cantamessa

Kurt Bryant

Jophery C. Brown

Edmund E. Villa

Tony Brubaker

Andy Gill

Gary J. Wayton

Debbie Evans

Michael M. Vendrell

Gene Harrison

Kerrie Cullen

Leon Delaney

Paula Wayton

Deborah Watkins

Lori Crowder

Leah Creed

Vince Deadrick Sr.

Kym Washington Longino

Sven-Ole Thorsen

Larry Holt

Sandy Richman

David Webster

Roydon Clark

Anthony G. Schmidt

William T. Lane

Peter Bucossi

Clifford Happy

Marguerite Happy

Fred Lerner

Frank James Sparks

Michael Russo

Bill Anagnos

Frank Ferrara Sr.

Donna Garrett

Wally Crowder

Roger Creed

Ceci Vendrell

Jery Hewitt

This was another sequel that was fashionable to knock when it came out. It got panned because it couldn't live up to the first Ghostbusters. Well, what could? The first one was so original, so enormously popular than any sequel was bound to fail as far as matching it.

This second Ghostbusters was just fine, very entertaining and it was nice to see all the main characters back. It had a little nicer feel to it and was more family-friendly language-wise, so it even had some things going for it the first one didn't have.

The other major different in this sequel was watching Peter MacNichol, who reprized his "Renfield"-type character from Mel Brooks' "Dead: And Loving It" comedy with Leslie Nielsen. Here, MacNichol plays "Janosz Poha," another wacko with a thick Eastern European accent. He is hilarious, and elevates the enjoyment of this film. Otherwise, the rest of the cast plays and acts just as they did in the first film, which means you'll get a lot of laughs out of them The story just isn't as intense, that's all. No, it can't equal the original, but.....

The bottom line is this: Don't try to compare the two films. If you enjoyed the first, you'll like this.....period.

Who you gonna snore?

Ghostbusters II Is directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis & Ernie Hudson. Ramis & Aykroyd c-wrote the screenplay and it's a sequel to the hugely successful Ghostbusters from 1984. Plot follows on from the first film but five years later and sees the Ghostbusters disbanded after being derided as frauds and handed a bill for the damages incurred as they saved the world! However, a new supernatural threat is bubbling down in the sewers of New York and now more than ever the Ghostbusters are back in vogue.

It was probably asking too much for this sequel to be as sparkling as the first film. More so when one considers that there was a 5 year gap in between and a new decade was soon to arrive that firmly had no place for 80s nostalgia. Oh Ghostbusters 2 was a success, very much so, but after the rush of fans wanting some more from the kooky parapsychologists had died down, the feedback was very mixed from fans and critics alike. Understandably so since everything about this sequel is tired. The characters look bored and lack the expresso timing that was once evident, especially Murray who is badly underused here, and more troubling is that his Venkman, the best thing about the original film, is reduced to being a normal type bloke. That's criminal, because the spirited stuff falls to Aykroyd and co and tho they be solid pros, they ain't got Murray's wit and mannerisms.

The story too is weak. Featuring a seventeenth century tyrant and the inevitable rise of spooks unbound. Thankfully, tho, the effects are at least of the high and gloopy standard set first time around. And there's some tight gags in there for the knowing Ghostbuster ear. But repetition hangs heavy throughout, Ramis & Aykroyd seemingly not grasping that what worked in 84 will not totally transfer well to a new crowd who are now older and wiser. There's also the distinct feeling that this film is more about a cast get together to make some easy cash than enticing in a whole new audience. Peter MacNicol is a welcome introduction to proceedings as Janosz Poha, while more of "slimer" (who is now real cool) is never a bad thing. But the magic is gone and Ghostbusters 2 just comes off as shallow and dangerously close to soiling our love of the first picture. 4/10

'They're back!'

I watched this straight after the first one. It was just as good as the first film. I enjoyed it.

CinemaSerf

I can't say that I really loved the first film and this didn't really advance that view much. It was clearly just made to capitalise on that huge success without anyone really bothering to develop the characters or build much of a story. Indeed - all it really does is introduce a baby (aww) and swap the baddies - this time we have the slightly camp Carpathian "Vigo" (the splendidly named Wilhelm von Homburg) - whom our established quartet must defeat to save the world from oblivion (and the poor soundtrack). The visual effects are adequate, but the rest of it is just a rather pale and unremarkable rehash of the 1984 effort with similar humour and scenarios that are predictably slap-stick and dull. Sigourney Weaver pops up now and again but her "Dana" character has little to bring to this and frankly, I was really quite bored by  the mundanity of it. Funniest bits are under the credits but sorry, I like my comedy just a shade more sophisticated than this childish stuff. I wouldn't bother.

"Ghostbusters II" easily recreates the spirit (if you'll pardon the pun) of the original and it is very engaging and entertaining viewing throughout, especially for a sequel where money is usually the only primary motivating factor. Of course, this is probably the case here as well, but at least there is a concerted effort by screenwriters Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd to refresh the range of cliches on offer that made the previous film so much fun and phenomenally popular back in 1984. However, even though the crowds of people are still gathered on the sidewalks of New York to enthusiastically cheer our eccentric heroes on to success and there are plenty of outrageous and bombastic ideas to keep the whole crazy enterprise afloat none of it can really rival the absurd spectacle of the marshmallow man Mr. Stay-Puft striding through the city in the first film.

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Ghostbusters II

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Cast

Bill Murray

Dan Aykroyd

Sigourney Weaver

Harold Ramis

Rick Moranis

Ernie Hudson

Annie Potts

Peter MacNicol

Harris Yulin

David Margulies

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