Ghostbusters I, II Review

Ghostbusters

Some comedies treat every minute equally. The idea is NOT to simply keep the audience awake long enough for a juvenile five-minute climax. In other words, if there is room for a gag or punch line, then one is written. Animal House, Stripes, A Fish Called Wanda, Sixteen Candles all fit into this category. The 1984 smash Ghostbusters, Directed by Ivan Reitman and available on DVD, is also one such film. Leave it to Saturday Night Live Vet Dan Aykroyd and cowriter Harold Ramis to combine sit-com paced comedy, mastered in short SNL skits, into a full-length feature film about saving New York City through paranormal pest management. Leave it to a heavyweight cast including Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, and Annie Potts to nail each and every delicious line in this genre-busting film. Funny, scary, frightening, shocking: Ghostbusters is not a one-trick pony. Enjoyed by children for its wacky premise and appreciated by adults for dead on performances and unrelenting comedy dialogue, Ghostbusters is a can’t-miss crowd-pleaser. – By MRW

Grade: A

Ghostbusters II (1989)

Based on the success of the original Ghostbusters only a fool wouldn’t make a sequel. Hollywood is not populated by fools. Back to the Future II, Lethal Weapon II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Trek V, Karate Kid III, Friday the 13th VIII, Nightmare on Elm Street V, The Fly II, Fletch Lives, Halloween V, all sequels released in 1989, are proof that you don’t stop pumping until the well is dry. Ivan Reitman, director and producer of both GB films, launched GB II mainly because he knew it would star an almost identical cast. Unfortunately, the spine of GB II is also almost identical to the original. Present are the non-stop quips and gags performed by the mouthy Venkman, the deadpan Stantz and the nerdy Spengler; missing is the sustained peril and compelling drama the original enjoyed. The Keymaster and Gatekeeper of Gozer have been replaced by Prince Vigo “the scourge of Carpathian and sorrow of Moldavia”. Yawn. The 13 year-old who grinned and laughed through Ghostbusters Uno was a cringing, embarrassed 18 year-old forced to grit his teeth as The Statue of Liberty moved to the “good vibe” strains of Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher”. Ugh. Fact of cinema: No nudity, no swearing, limited violence, and good vibes spells disaster for the 16-21 demographic.

Feuding between Murray and Ramis have prevented a GB III from being produced. Maybe that’s a good thing. – By MRW

Grade C-