Is Ghostbusters 2 really that bad?

[Amasov]

What do you think?

I think people tend to exaggerate how bad this movie is.

Is it as good as the first one? Oh, god no, it doesn't even hold a candle, but having said that, it's not a horrible piece of film making. I still think it's a fairly decent movie and good entertainment. It's not as funny or quotable as the first one, plus it has some pretty chilling moments throughout that diminish its comedic effect.

Discuss!

 

[Gojira]

I watched it once and that was enough for me. The only thing I like about it are the twin boys that played Dana Barret, infant son were the nephews of John Denver my favorite singer in the world.

 

[zakkrusz]

Both Ghostbusters movies aren't exactly greatness. The campyness makes them fun though.

 

[Frontier]

If the first film is a 10/10, than GB2 is a 6/10.

Most sequels actually are worse than their originals, but the exceptions to that rule are EXCEPTIONAL (Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2, Godfather 2, Superman II, Dark Knight) and so it creates a false impression that all second films are better, to which GB2 falls that much harder in comparison to.

They made mistakes. They toned it down for kids to make money, rather than keeping the original spirit. The villains sucked. Is it "Attack of the Clones" or "Jaws 2" bad? No. But it's not T2, Dark Knight, et cetera. So it falls into a massive gray void that makes it seem worse.

 

[ALF]

Here's how to watch it (with a DVD player):

Every time you see Oscar on screen (minus the bathtub attack and the finale with Vigo) I hit "Next" on the chapter select.

I get a decent Ghostbusters romp in about an hour ten and I don't have to see stupid babies bringing the plot and action down.

Busters, not babies.

Incidentally, I've re-discovered The Real Ghostbusters on Teletoon retro and it's a show that's stood the time of time rather well. Not all episodes are great, but when they work they can be pretty amusing.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Is it as good as the first one? Oh, god no, it doesn't even hold a candle, but having said that, it's not a horrible piece of film making. I still think it's a fairly decent movie and good entertainment.

That's exactly how I see it.

The first one was excellent and pretty much anything coming after it was bound to be less. Whenever a sequel manages to surpass the original, it is a rarity.

However, a fall from to 10/10 to say, 7 or 8/10 isn't that bad when compared to other sequels.

It could have been like the Highlander series - where we had a severe fall from 10/10 to 0/10.

 

[Admiral_Young]

It's not a horrible movie by any means but like others have said pales in comparison to the first film. There are a few enjoyable moments. I like when Peter reunites with Dana and meets Oscar for the first time (if Oscar was really his "love child" as that report a few weeks ago reported I think Dana would have told him in that scene). I liked the scene at the birthday party with Ray and Winston are trying to entertain the kids but they demand "He-Man!" instead, as a huge MOTU fan I loved that.

I don't think Vigo was interesting or much of a threat at all and has always been a reason I think the movie didn't do that well. I love the program that Venkman hosts at the start, very Art Bell like but with a comedic twist, and I think Art was just starting out with Coast to Coast at the time but could be wrong. I know Dan has been a guest.

 

[Logopolis]

As a child, I thought Ghostbusters 2 was a lethargy inducing film because it didn't have as much action and lacked the pace of the first one. But as time went by, I actually grew to really like it. I still prefer the first film but with some maturity can understand why it turned out the way it did.

- The seemingly less energetic proton packs was the result of sitting on the shelf for all those years

- I suppose the slow pacing of the story was to give it a bit more character driven feel instead of just repeating the approach of the first (not that this approach was entirely successful, but you can see the attempt)


I must say I loved the Courtroom scene in this film, perhaps one of the funniest moments in the franchise. I ended up preferring darker, new-jackson swing influenced soundtrack ahead of the more psychedelic, synth-based soundtrack of the first film. Plus the orchestral scores were great too.

I'm looking forward to getting both on blu-ray. But, having seen the treatment of Blues Brothers 2000, I am ultimately deterred from wanting a GB3.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yeah I really like the courtroom scene and "We're Back!" best part of the movie for me.

 

[Trekker4747]

The Ghostbusters Rap is lame and I don't know how it could even near the greatness of their theme song from the original movie.

Ghostbusters 2 is another example of franchises trying to "cash in" on children being interested in the original movie resulting in a wider franchise. Forgetting that, you know, the movie that pulled them into the Franchise in the first place wasn't a camp eye-rolling fest.

GB2 isn't a terrible sequel it just forget some of the things that made the first movie so good, tries too hard to play to kids while at the same time trying to... Well I don't know what they were going for in the "domestic comedy" between Peter and Dana.

Watch some of the first few seasons of "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon show (mostly the episodes that would've aired before GB2 came out) and you'll see that even the cartoon took the subject matter and franchise in a darker, more serious, tone.

 

[saturn5]

It's ok, I find the train tunnel scene suprisingly creepy

 

[Anwar]

I liked it, to be honest. Always have.

My only problem was the River of Slime. If it was always there under the city, where was it in the first film? Are there slime rivers under all the cities with jerkass inhabitants, or just NYC?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I thought it was explained that the River of Slime formed over a period time, and since it was concentrated under the museum after the painting arrived. It wasn't there before that painting arrived. That's my theory.

 

[Christopher]

I generally liked GB2. It wasn't as good as the first, but it wasn't bad either. The climax with the Statue of Liberty was an obvious attempt to copy Sta-Puft from the first film, but I like it because it's so upbeat, the idea of defeating the villain by inspiring good feelings in the people of New York. That's kinda beautiful.

What annoys me is the conceit that the populace has forgotten about the reality of ghosts by the second movie. I prefer the approach of The Real Ghostbusters, where the pervasive reality of the supernatural was universally accepted. (Also, since TRG is my favorite incarnation of the franchise, period, it disappointed me that GB2 was inconsistent with it -- and it annoyed me when the cartoon changed to reflect GB2 anyway.)

I also think they missed an opportunity for a good one-liner in the courtroom scene, where Louis is examining Venkman on the witness stand and Peter is basically guiding the whole conversation. The prosecutor objects, "Counsel is leading the witness," but it would've been both far funnier and far more accurate if he'd said, "Objection! The witness is leading the counsel!"

 

[Amasov]

I have a very clear memory of when it came out back in 1989 and always hearing that Bobby Brown song from the movie, On Our Own, always being on the radio.

There are definitely some memorable moments, but like some, I don't look at the movie at some kind of missed opportunity. Bill Murray dominated the first film was his one liners, but that's not very apparent here. I don't know if I said it in my original post, but just about every spoken line of dialogue from the original movie is some kind of catchphrase or instantly recognizable. A friend and I almost always quote the first movie whenever we find ourselves in a situation or moment where a line from the movie seems to fit.

I love that scene when Louis is running through the streets trying to get to the museum and decides to take the bus. When the doors swing open, Slimer is behind the wheel with a big smile on his face. And what makes it even funnier, Louis accepts the ride!

I would bet that the expectation for this one was so high, that was easy for it to fall short.

 

[milo bloom]

A few years ago, this came on one of our HD movie channels and the wife and I watched it, having not seen it for years before then. It was not nearly as bad as we remembered, though like others, I really think the cartoon did itself a disservice when they changed to match the second movie (instead of the other way around).

 

[PsychoPere]

Incidentally, I've re-discovered The Real Ghostbusters on Teletoon retro and it's a show that's stood the time of time rather well. Not all episodes are great, but when they work they can be pretty amusing.

I bought Time Life's The Real Ghostbusters: The Complete Collection a couple years back. I should really get around to watching it one of these days.

 

[Samurai8472]

The film was around the time of the cartoon and I could tell there were some cartoon influences like Egon's higher hair

 

[Christopher]

Just last night, I watched the Real Ghostbusters episode called "Beneath These Streets," in which a strange ectoplasmic gel is bubbling up from the sewers and the Ghostbusters must go deep underground to discover its origins. The plot to GB2 always reminded me of this episode, though the origin and nature of the "slime" is different and the subterranean investigations make up a smaller part of the movie.

 

[Reverend]

I liked it, to be honest. Always have.

My only problem was the River of Slime. If it was always there under the city, where was it in the first film? Are there slime rivers under all the cities with jerkass inhabitants, or just NYC?

I thought it was explained that the River of Slime formed over a period time, and since it was concentrated under the museum after the painting arrived. It wasn't there before that painting arrived. That's my theory.

Actually, for the most part it's (retroactively) explained in the recent video game. Basically Shandor (the Gozer cult bloke mentioned in the first movie) built a whole network under the city for gathering and focusing the mojo to bring Gozer back with Dana's apartment building at the centre. The museum happened to be above one of the "nodes" of the network, so the implication is that Vigo just leached off the excess energy that was meant for a certain Sumerian god. As I recall the smile comes from an baby sloar that Shandor managed to imprison and pumped it into the sewers.