Still hilarious and immensely entertaining after all these years

Rating: 10/10 (13 September 2009)

I first saw this film in a theater at age twelve way back in 1984. I absolutely loved it and enjoyed it a great deal. I vividly recall the audience roaring with laughter at regular intervals. Well, I rewatched this movie after having not seen it for at least fifteen years and boy did it ever hold up. It's partly because of the witty and ingenious blending of a Lovecraftian the end of the world as beget by ancient and powerful phantasmagoric beings premise with a delightfully broad and playful sense of infectiously irreverent and anarchic humor, partly because the special effects are extremely impressive and accomplished even by today's more sophisticated standards (the gluttonous Slimer in particular is a splendidly disgusting wow!), partly because the movie breezes along at a brisk clip without any dreary lulls, and mainly because it's just so much incredibly off-the-wall absurdist fun.
The cast is sheer perfection: Bill Murray lands a plumb part as the lovably smarmy Dr. Peter Venkman, Dan Aykroyd is likewise excellent as the overzealous Dr. Raymond Stantz, Harold Ramis plays it suitably solemn and humorless as the deliciously dour Dr. Egon Spengler, Sigourney Weaver is simply ravishing as fetching musician and appealing love interest Dana Barret (and man is she smoking hot when she becomes possessed by the lascivious spirit of the evil, yet enticing Zuul), Rick Moranis exquisitely nerds it up as hopelessly dweeby accountant Louis Tully, Annie Potts adds considerable spark as sarcastic secretary Janine Melnitz, Ernie Hudson is quite engaging as the easygoing Winston Zeddmore, and William Atherton makes for a marvelously smug foil as obnoxious EPA jerk Walter Peck. Ivan Reitman's deft direction maintains an appropriately zany tone throughout while tossing in plenty of neat throwaway gags and culminating in one rousing doozy of a pull out all the stops crazy apocalyptic climax. Among the choice gut-busting moments are our protagonists attempting to nab a pesky ghost at a library, the Ghostbusters corny TV commercial, our boys' first assignment at a posh New York hotel, Stantz's erotic dream, and the first appearance of a giant deadly marshmallow man. Kudos are also in order for the first-rate rockin' soundtrack, with Mick Smiley's hypnotic "Magic" rating as an especially awesome tune. Elmer Bernstein supplies a fantastic spooky and spirited score. Laszlo Kovacs' glossy cinematography makes fine use of the widescreen format. Popping up in nifty bits are Jennifer Runyon, Michael Ensign, "Playboy" Playmate Kymberly Herrin, slinky Russian beauty Slavitza Jovan (as Gozer), Deborah Gibson, and even notorious porn star Ron Jeremy. But what really clinches this picture's status as an all-time classic 80's winner is its exceptionally inspired and energetic sense of blithely ridiculous merriment. A total treat.