Today is a Sunday, a rainy one at that, which for me is an appropriate time to revisit a classic, or in this case, an underappreciated film from a bygone era is the way to go. And this little nostalgic piece is for all the readers, or maybe just you, the one random reader who clicked on this entertainment article because you mistook it for an old episode of SpongeBob SquarePants. Haha.
Now, with my obligatory intro out of the way, we need to talk about ‘Ghostbusters II.’ We simply must. Because for far too long, this cinematic confection, this sequel that followed a pop culture phenomenon, has been relegated to the forgotten, ghost-trapped corners of our collective memory.
Perplexingly, some, for some strange reason, are even ashamed to be called fans of ‘Ghostbusters II’ – until they saw the shameful, ridiculous, desperate, attempted cash-money grab on the world-famous Ghostbusters IP with the 2016 woke reboot, all-female-led Ghostbusters. In the aftermath of that, ‘Ghostbusters II’ was immediately and rightfully redeemed, and this sequel realigned it to the legacy of being a Ghostbusters movie, because it is. I mean, what else was it supposed to be, right? Haha.
Unfairly, ‘Ghostbusters II’ has been treated like the unwanted Slimer in the pantry, the ‘Vigo the Carpathian’ painting that you just want to take down and replace with something less. evil. But I’m here to tell you that ‘Ghostbusters II’ is more than just a follow-up entry. It’s a late ’80s movie with heart, with humor, and yes, with a river of thousands of gallons of mood slime running beneath the streets of New York City, that has been the result of all the negative, resentful and hateful energy of the citizens of New York City, all building up, boiling, and about to explode right under their feet.
Let’s get this out of the way: Is it as good as the original? My friends, let us not even begin to entertain that debate. The first Ghostbusters is a near-perfect masterpiece of horror-comedy, a lightning-in-a-bottle moment where everything just clicked. To this day, there has been nothing quite like it, and there are many factors that have led to that ruling. From the choice of cast, the screenplay, the director, the times, most of and other intangible reasons. To compare a sequel to that is like asking if your second trip to a brand new opening of a world-famous fast-food chain is as good as the first-of course not, and why are we even having this conversation?
No, ‘Ghostbusters II’ isn’t the first movie. It’s the second. And it wears that like a badge of honor, a slightly-worn-out proton pack that has seen better days but still gets the job done. The gang-Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston-are all back, and they’re, well, they’re not doing so great. They’ve been sued out of business, relegated to hosting kooky TV shows and performing at children’s birthday parties. There’s a beautiful, melancholic reality to this, a perfect sequel hook that Hollywood often botches, but the writers here just get it. They know that if the world were truly saved, the heroes would be left with nothing to do.
But the world, as it turns out, is a hot mess again, ripe for another end-of-times paranormal event in the making. Thanks to a river of negative emotions running under the city, and a delightfully unhinged ‘Vigo the Carpathian’ in a painting, the supernatural is back, and it’s angrier than ever. It’s not hard to imagine or figure out why this supernatural entity is mad. Can you imagine being stuck in that painting for hundreds, if not a thousand years, at least? Hey, anyone would want out. Haha.
Give credit where credit is due, because ‘Ghostbusters II’ isn’t just a rehash; it expands the mythology in some genuinely clever ways. The mood slime, for instance, is a stroke of genius. A river of emotional residue that powers ghosts and gets crankier with every human squabble? Who could have thought of that? The filmmakers of ‘Ghostbusters II’ did. That’s almost more genius than the proton pack itself. It also provides us with some of the movie’s best moments, like the time they use the Statue of Liberty, which has been brought to life by the positively charged slime to defeat Vigo. I mean, honestly, you could do worse than a massive copper lady walking through the streets of New York, a beacon of hope and liberty against an angry, painted supernatural tyrant. And let’s not forget the spot-on humor. While not as sharp-edged as the first film, the wit is still there. Peter Venkman is still the master of the deadpan and the ridiculous. Egon is still obsessed with his science, and Ray is still the enthusiastic leader of the pack. The courtroom scene where the ghosts of ‘The Scoleri Brothers’ pop up? Brilliant. The scene with the toaster dancing to Jackie Wilson’s ‘Higher and Higher’? It’s a moment of pure, unadulterated kiddie-like cinematic joy that has been revisited time and again on YouTube. It was one of those unforgettable scenes that made ‘Ghostbusters II’ a frequently revisited film of its time.
And can we talk about the soundtrack for a minute? Wow! It is similar to a time capsule of hits for an OST. The first movie gave us Ray Parker Jr. The sequel gave us Bobby Brown. ‘On Our Own’ is a certified banger, and I dare you to deny it. It’s a song that captures the late ’80s aesthetic so perfectly that it’s almost criminal. It’s the sound of a wonderful bygone era of perfect movie themes, and it’s all here, wrapped up in a tidy little dance-pop number that can still be heard now and then.
So, the next time you find yourself dismissing ‘Ghostbusters II,’ just remember this: sometimes, the sequel, the one that everyone forgets about, is the one that deserves a second chance. It’s not a flawless masterpiece, and it doesn’t need to be. It’s just a great popcorn movie, and a reminder that even when things aren’t perfect, there’s still a way to save the world.
It’s a fun memory for moviegoers, and for anyone who remembers it fondly, a testament to the fact that you shouldn’t be afraid to love what you see, or in this case, what you revisit. And that, my friends, is enough. After all, not every sequel is meant to be a groundbreaking, game-changing masterpiece, right? Sometimes, a sequel can just be a good, fun time, such as this one.