Ghostbusters II
Tags: comedy, fantasy, paranormal, allegory, cult, humor, action

Plot synopsis:
After saving New York City from the demi-god Gozer, the Ghostbusters—Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Winston Zeddemore—are sued for the property damage they caused, and barred from investigating the supernatural, forcing them out of business. Ray owns an occult bookstore and works as an unpopular children's entertainer with Winston, Egon works in a laboratory conducting experiments into human emotion, and Peter hosts a pseudo-psychic television show. Peter's former girlfriend Dana Barrett has had a son, Oscar, with an ex-husband, and works at the Museum of Modern Art. After an incident in which Oscar's baby carriage is controlled by an unseen force and drawn to a busy junction, Dana turns to the Ghostbusters for help. Meanwhile, Dana's colleague Dr. Janosz Poha is indoctrinated by the spirit of Vigo the Carpathian, a powerful sixteenth-century tyrant and magician trapped in a painting in the gallery. Vigo orders Janosz to locate a child that Vigo can possess, allowing him to return to life on the New Year.
The Ghostbusters' investigation leads them to illegally excavate First Avenue at the point where the baby carriage stopped. Lowered underneath, Ray discovers a river of pink slime filling the abandoned Beach Pneumatic Transit line. Attacked by the slime after obtaining a sample, Ray accidentally causes a city-wide blackout, and the Ghostbusters are arrested. They are found guilty of investigating the supernatural, but before they can be taken away, the slime taken as evidence reacts to the judge's angry outburst and explodes, releasing two ghosts who were murderers that the judge had executed that proceed to devastate the courtroom. The Ghostbusters imprison the ghosts in exchange for the dismissal of all charges and that they be allowed to resume their Ghostbusting business.
Later, the slime invades Dana's apartment and attacks her and Oscar. She seeks refuge with Peter, and the two begin to renew their relationship. Investigating the slime and Vigo's history, the Ghostbusters discover that the slime reacts to emotions, and suspect that it has been generated by the negative attitudes of New Yorkers. While Peter and Dana have dinner together, Egon, Ray, and Winston explore the underground river of slime. While measuring the depth, Winston gets pulled into the flowing river, and Ray and Egon jump in after him. After they escape back to the surface Ray and Winston begin arguing, but Egon realizes that they are being influenced by the slime, so they strip off their clothes. They also learn the river is flowing directly to the museum.
The Ghostbusters go to the mayor with their suspicions, but are dismissed; the mayor's assistant, Jack Hardemeyer, has them committed to a psychiatric hospital to protect the mayor's interests as he runs for governor. Meanwhile, a spirit resembling Janosz kidnaps Oscar from Peter's apartment, and Dana pursues them to the museum alone. After she enters, the museum is covered with a barrier of impenetrable slime.
New Year's Eve sees a sudden increase of supernatural activity as the slime rises from the subway line and onto the city streets, causing widespread paranormal activity with ghosts attacking citizens. In response, the mayor fires Hardemeyer and has the Ghostbusters released. After heading to the museum, they are unable to breach the power of the slime barrier with their proton packs. Determining that they need a symbol of powerful positivity to rally the citizens and weaken the slime, the Ghostbusters use positively-charged mood slime, and a remix of "Higher and Higher" to animate the Statue of Liberty and pilot it through the streets before the cheering populace. As they arrive at the museum, the slime begins to recede and they use the Statue's torch to break through the museum's ceiling to attack Vigo and Janosz.
Janosz is neutralized with positively-charged slime, but Vigo immobilizes the Ghostbusters and attempts a transfer into Oscar's body. A chorus of "Auld Lang Syne" by the citizens outside weakens Vigo, returning him to the painting and freeing the Ghostbusters. Vigo momentarily possesses Ray, and the other Ghostbusters attack him with a combination of proton streams and positively-charged mood slime. Dressed in full Ghostbusters attire, Louis attacks the weakened slime barrier around the building with a proton stream of his own. This combination destroys Vigo and changes the painting to a likeness of the four Ghostbusters standing protectively around Oscar. Outside, the Ghostbusters receive a standing ovation from the crowd and, at a later ceremony to restore the Statue, the Key to the City from the mayor.

Review: 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.
Unlike the first picture, though, it seems like they took the family-friendly route and didn't feel like building up to the oh-so-apocalyptic tone of the first film (even though "Ghostbusters" was still pretty funny aside from the occasional dark tone).And also, director Ivan Reitman knows their material and it looks like the filmmakers made the wise decision of bringing back everybody from the original film, including Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis.
After being almost bankrupted by countless lawsuits and being unable to practice their trade because of a judicial restraining order, the boys are reduced to moonlighting in other fields, such as catering to the needs of spoiled yuppie children at their birthday parties, a task that neither Ray Stanz (Aykroyd) or Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) take pride in.Egon Spengler (Ramis) is the only one of the original Ghostbusters who seems to have actually moved on with his life.
Anyway, things get underway when the boys discover that nasty pink slime of supernatural origin is discovered building up underneath the city, something that old friend and Venkman's old flame Dana Barrett (Weaver) realizes first hand when the slime attacks her infant son, and it's an investigation they have to do on the down-low because of their current legal situation.This slime, they learn, feeds off the misery and stress of a downtrodden New York City, and it's only getting stronger as the holidays are approaching.
They're back in business, all right - with cynical Janine Melnitz (Annie Potts) answering the phones and Louis Tully (Moranis) on the books - tracing the source of their ghost-busting investigations to a 17th-century Moldavian tyrant named Vigo the Carpathian who wants in on the 20th century, and has possessed museum curator Janosz Poha (a hilarious Peter MacNicol) to go out and kidnap Dana's son so he can have a body so he can live again.One thing "Ghostbusters II" provides for the viewer is solid entertainment, which is what any good sequel should do.
This time, we see 5 years later where the Ghostbusters parted ways (Venkman to a Talk show, Spengler to a child psychologist and Stanz as a book store owner) but are put back together because of new activity in the paranormal that could end the world (courtesy of a painting named Vigo).
Or does someone else have those?As usual Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson see the problem, but to convince the rest of New York that their general misanthropic behavior is what the nasty spirit feeds on.Joining the gang is former victim Rick Moranis.
We have seen these guys set-up, we have had the origin story, they were cheered by the city after saving the world from 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanoes, the dead rising from the grave, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together mass hysteria!Get the point?Instead the movie stumbles over the starting line by announcing that they were sued by everyone in New York for blowing-up Spook Central and were labelled as frauds.
In this 1989 sequel to the original blockbuster, the storyline picks up 5 years later as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) is trying to move on with her life and her new baby.
The film is a strong sequel and is almost as fun as the original, but some plot holes and loose ends make this not nearly as good.
A lot of the story and humor is recycled from the original, but fans of the first film will definitely enjoy this above-average sequel..
The story of the slime was pretty good and it was funny seeing them do kid's birthday parties (though I doubt a kid at that time would have watched He-man cartoons).
However when it comes to the sequel for one of the biggest films of the 1980's', that being Ghostbusters II, the fuss was not so big and the talk was not so loud, about it being good or bad.
When Venkman says Sometimes, weird things happen, someone has to deal with it, and who are you gonna call?!', you know it is time once again to call on the Ghostbusters'.Five years after waging a war on slime that cost New York City millions, the Ghostbusters find themselves out of business--until an ancient tyrant, preparing a return to the Earthly domain through a river of slime under the city and his portrait at the Manhattan Museum of Art, sets his sights on Dana Barrett's baby as the new home for his wicked soul!
Now only the Ghostbusters can save New York City, by turning paranormal pest control into an art form!The surprising part about this film is that almost every aspect from the first, returned to do it all a second time.
If either of these areas of Ghostbusters II were a failure, than I am sure that this film would not have been anywhere near as good, as I thought it was.I was glad to see all the cast back for a second time.
With great special effects, funny story and roles from all involved, Ghostbusters II is not as bad a sequel as some would have you to believe.
"Ghostbusters II" is an incredible movie; funny, entertaining, and a perfect sequel to the original 1984 classic.
This film doesn't fall into the typical sequel trap by not living up to the original, because it is just as great as "Ghostbusters".
The Ghostbusters go from being out of business to back in business to stop this evil prince.The movie is full of filler (the court scene and the obligatory ghosts are absurd to say the least; they don't look like humans yet the judge quickly identifies them?) and is so bad that I would have turned it off halfway through if I had been watching it by myself.
It was quite a task for writer harold ramis and director Ivan Reitman to follow the success of the sci/fi comedy hit "Ghostbusters" because usually most sequels have an air of pomp to them and lose track of what the original was about.
Although it cannot create the fun and excitement of the original "Ghostbusters II" will not disappointment fans of the first films sly humor and cheesy/entertaining action.
This sequel appears to have been watered down for the kiddies who watched the Ghostbusters cartoon show for the previous half decade, while simultaneously selling cinema tickets to their parents for nostalgia (and a soundtrack album).The now disgraced (after the destruction of Manhattan in the first film) Ghostbusters are called back into action, when a sea of slime is found running under the city, feeding on negative energy, and while a fictitious former warlord attempts to re-enter the world of the living, via a haunted painting.Goofy and inane, silly plot - at its core, it offers a generic "be nice" message, and it tries to top the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from part 1 by giving us the ghost of Titanic.
Mainly the scene's with the three Ghostbusters Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis are extremely fun to watch but also the Rick Moranis scene's are highly fun, also thanks to the dialog he had been given.But no, it's not the perfect sequel.
The special effects look far better and also the dialog has become even more better and fun.Best performances of the movie are given by once more; Bill Murray, Rick Moranis and Peter MacNicol in a fun 'villain' role.It's not the perfect sequel but that doesn't take away that this is a good and certainly fun movie to watch.
the scoleri brothers were scarier than slimer the song monologue when the ghostbusters were in the nuthouse Vigo the painting shows up more than Gozer in part one.Though there are punchlines that people might repeat such as the "sometimes s**t happens", it could've work better as a comedy like the original.
Ivan Reitman would return as director of this sequel, set five years later, that sees the team(Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, & Ernie Hudson all return) recovering from the multitude of lawsuits(the ingratitude!) they faced, now working kids' parties for extra cash(!) Their fortunes would turn around after Dana Barrett(Sigourney Weaver) once again finds herself the center of spectral activity, this time centered around her baby, who is coveted for possession by an ancient warlock, who is also responsible for a resurgence of ghost appearances, originating in a river of angry slime flowing beneath the city in the sewers.
Ghostbusters II Is directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis & Ernie Hudson.
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.
After a good start, the film mainly follows the formula of the first "Busters": There's a "Ghostbusting" montage(This time with a rap remix of the Ghostbusters theme);A problem involving Dana Barret(Sigourney Weaver);the boys get imprisoned while ghosts run amok; and finally the Mayor decides to let the Ghostbusters free and defeat this menace in a climax which involves a giant supernaturally-powered icon walking through Manhattan(Although this time on the Ghostbuster's side).
This time, there are some new characters and they are played by: Peter McNicol (Ally McBeal), Kurt Fuller (Scary Movie, Wayne's World).Life has been stressful ever since the Ghostbusters business shut down 5 years earlier.
The Ghostbusters then find out that the slime is related to the main ghost on their list, a 16th century magician known as Vigo the Carpatian (Wilhelm von Homburg), and that he needs an infant body so he can come back and rule earth.I wanna save the rest for a suprise because there is so much more to tell.Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Stripes, Evolution), and co-produced by Joe Medjuck (Road Trip) and Bernie Brillstein (Ghostbusters), Ghostbusters II is a movie for all ages and I highly recommend it to any family who is looking for a good comedy to watch together..
On the plus side the original cast are back (there is great on screen chemistry with the 4 ghostbuster actors), Rick Moranis plays the geeky Louis role to perfection and Bill Murray is on form again with his classic deadpan one liners, the scenes at the courtroom are excellent and several aspects of the film are in fact, very entertaining!
While I felt the second film lacked the first's sense of desperation, the cast still did a good job at doing everything necessary to make it good.Again, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts, Rick Moranis, and Ernie Hudson were great in their roles.
The villain didn't induce the same sense of terror Gozer did, and the final battle between the Ghostbusters and Vigo wasn't as spectacular.Still, despite its failures, it was still a much better film than most others in the Comedy/Special Effects genre.
I also have to get outta the way that i of course love the '84 original classic it's one of my top 20 fave movies of all time it's just i prefer it's underrated but BRILLIANT sequel.
A BRILLIANT movie in it's own right that has a much better main villain/monster in vigo than the first film,we also get so much more fun between the 4 Ghostbusters such nice scenes like the Toaster scene & the dana & baby oscar scenes at venkmans apartment & really creepy cool scenes like the ghost train & spiked heads & the slime bathtub scene & the classic courtroom scene!!!
Ghostbusters 2 holds that very dear spot in my heart that warm feeling i get watching this film never goes away it's truly a childhood classic of mine & i can't say enough lovely things about this Great film except just enjoy it & see how good it makes you feel!!!
GHOSTBUSTERS 2 makes my Top Spot my number 1 movie of all time followed by another Aykroyd classic Dragnet (1987) my 2nd fave film.
Five years after the first "Ghostbusters," Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis team up for this sequel.
The special effects still look better than many that are overly-CGIed nowadays and best of all, it's funny.If I was really trying to be critical I could mention that it does seem a bit odd that, by all accounts, the city of New York has completely forgotten about how the Ghostbusters saved the world (and, sometimes, it's even debateable whether the populous even BELIEVES in ghosts!).
And soon enough, Venkman, Egon (Harold Ramis), Ray (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston (Ernie Hudson) will discover that a new wave of terror is about to take the Big Apple by storm, and it all ties back to a mysterious haunted painting of an ancient tyrant known as "Vigo the Carpathian", whose spirit is hatching a plan to be reborn at the strike of midnight on New Year's Eve...What salvages the film and helps it to fundamentally succeed is the continued charm of the returning cast and a surprisingly well-constructed and atmospheric tone.
New cast member Peter MacNicol is also a blast as a co- worker of Dana's who is entranced into becoming Vigo's familiar in the world.Director Ivan Reitman crafts a much darker tale here, and injects a lot of pure suspense and eerie sequences of horror that give the film a good sense of dread.
I honestly can't say I'm a fan of these "Ghostbuster" movies--but this lame sequel makes the first one look like a masterpiece by comparison.The unfunny business struggles to find a few laughs in the same old situations but it's pretty hard to work up any enthusiasm for staying tuned in to this movie.
If I remember correctly GHOSTBUSTERS 2 performed rather badly at the box office and recieved rather poor reviews on its initial release in 1989 , and strangely it wasn`t until 15 years later that I finally got round to seeing it .Like the first movie this sequel is fairly impressive and amusing for the first 15 minutes as we find out Ray and Winston are now employed as childrens entertainers - " Who ya gonna call ?
Little do they know it, but the city of New York will once again need the talents of the ghost battling foursome, when a surge of spiritual activity bubbles over from beneath their feet.Thankfully all the cast are still here, including Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver; and once again its a fun film that is littered with hilarity.Ghostbusters II does lack the freshness and ideas that made the first film such a hit, but it is still entertaining and well worth the watch.6/10.
While making an earnest attempt to be an authentic sequel (catching up with the boys 5 years after their duel with Gozer), the film is afflicted with several missteps that smack of desperation: 1) the inclusion of a weird-accented gallery owner (Peter MacNicol--"Bean"); 2) the expansion of Rick Moranis's gawky accountant character; 3) the placement of a child in peril (in this case, Dana Barret's infant); and 4) an 'up-with-people' theme that feels more than a little silly.Granted, the film has Ivan Reitman's assured direction, Richard Edlund's superb FX work, and the presence of the original cast on its side.
Even Sigourney Weaver doesn't carry any sort of context with her character this time around.A movie like this must mix the elements of comedy and horror effectively, Ghostbusters II doesn't.
First thing that I like that this movie contains most of the original cast from Ghostbusters.The special effects are as good as Ghostbusters.
But when an old friend comes back to town and starts having paranormal troubles again, the four of them investigate the situation and discover a river of slime flowing to the art museum where a powerful warlord has come to life and plotting to rule the earth on New Year's Eve. The four of them return to business and take out ghosts left and right again and are ready to go into the final battle in the museum.The thing I liked most about this movie is that the characters were more interesting and entertaining this time around.
In fact, if memory serves me correctly, I saw the sequel before the original, which may have something to do with my love of the film.The Ghostbusters (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson) have been plagued by numerous lawsuits since the opening of their prosperous business, and a court has ordered them to close down their business.
We'll both be better off.Ghostbusters II (1989) is very underrated and hated by so many people and fans of the original movie, including Billy Murray him self.
The movie is good on it is own, but does not beat the original film!
"Ghostbusters II" was not quite as funny as the first film nor was it quite as dramatic as the first movie, but it was okay because I enjoyed watching Bill Murray and the rest of the gang in action.
"Ghostbusters II" was not quite as funny as the first film nor was it quite as dramatic as the first movie, but it was okay because I enjoyed watching Bill Murray and the rest of the gang in action.
The sequel to Ghostbusters is not quite as good and doesn't have the same charm as the original, but it still can be quite funny.