This is an old review from a site I used to have called He said, She Said. I had hundreds of reviews on that site. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that site and am going to preserve what I can of it. If a review from that site made it's way here, that means it has been updated. Whenever I watch a movie that I already reviewed, I will update it and put it here. All new reviews will still be put on the Facebook page.
What He Said:
We live near a local historic theater. For years it showed old movies, cult classics, and limited release types of movies that (mostly) only film snobs see. Sometime In the last several years, it purchased a neighboring building, which has allowed it to add two more screens, an expanded concessions stand, and more importantly, booze! Prior to Covid, they got current movies all the time; like a normal chain theater. They had to scale back during the peak of the pandemic, but are slowly getting back to normal (I am mere hours away from seeing Ghostbusters Afterlife there). I even saw Avengers Endgame there. Not at an AMC or Regal, but a small local theater! But they never got away from their roots. They still show classics, movies, cult horror, fan favorites, old Mystery Science Theater episodes, and flicks for the whole family.
Recently, Ghostbusters2 2 was one of those movies. The movie did not do well with critics and Bill Murray famously refused to do a 3rd movie for years because of his feelings about this sequel. There was a time where I didn't remember it fondly either, but I gotta be honest, I think it's pretty damn funny. I caught it on
TV years ago in my 20s for the first time since I was a kid. I remember thinking, "Hey, this isn't so bad." I had seen it a few times in bits and pieces over the years, but that time in my 20s was the first time I sat down as an adult and watched this movie from beginning-to-end since I was like 10; and it has really grown on me since. So when I had the chance to see it "on the big screen", I jumped at the opportunity; especially since I had the chance to drink while watching it!
I don't know why Bill Murray hates this movie so much, because he fucking kills it in this movie. Peter Venkman is as snarky, sleazy, and funny as ever. He's spitting out so much good stuff that you have to really pay attention to what he says because it's just rapid fire. His dislike of the script did now show in his performance one bit. I've heard several stories over the years of how difficult - if not outright mean at times - he can be, but at least he keeps it together enough to not let it affect his performance.
Harold Ramis, Peter MacNicol, and Rick Moranis were all actually quite funny too. Egon is an underrated member of the team. Venkman is pretty much everyone's favorite, because Murray is steals every scene he's in. Ray Stanz (Dan Aykroyd) is the heart and soul of the team and I would say his child-like enthusiasm endears him to the audience. But I'll be damned it Egon doesn't quietly sneak some - no, many - funny lines in there. His techno babble and dedication to the science and research make for some of the more amusing moments in the franchise. It was certainly there in the first one, but for some reason, I notice it more here. Rick Moranis looked like he never stopped playing Louis. He had a bigger role in the first movie, but is every bit as funny in this one. MacNicol was a new addition. He played the lackey/toady to villain Vigo the Carpathian. He is an odd little foreign man who is from "The Upper Vest Side", bahahaha! This guy's delivery kills me. He is kind of Louis' replacement: an odd, nerdy, delusional little man who has the hots for Dana and is a minion of the bad guy. This character is seriously comedic gold.
Ghosbusters has always excelled at world-building. This series has a wonderful mythology. The depth the franchise goes to, which includes a video game that was the official part 3 at one point. Ramis and Akroyd even wrote the story for it. Murray resisted doing another movie so hard, they settled for writing the game. Anyway, the gadgets, villains and their back-stories were always crafted with care. This is an impressive feat when you consider these are comedies. Comedies don't always make this kind of effort since their purpose of them is to make you laugh. But not Ghosbusters. It was always important to Ramis and Akroyd created and wrote both movies that there's some substance.
This movie, while flawed, certainly does that. We see the guys use new gadgets and weapons and are given a new vilian in Vigo; who gets a lot more screen time than Gozer, the OG Ghostbusters villain. Gozer is way more prevalent in pop culture - and if rumors are true she comes back in the new movie - but Vigo is a damn good antagonist. I enjoyed his look and backstory very much. He was a tyrant and sorcerer who essentially ascended to god-like levels. Plus, Venkman takes some great shots at him and it's hilarious. Side note: There's some great stories about the guy who played him. He was apparently a terrible person, but it's a fascinating read.
Sure, this movie is not as innovative or groundbreaking as the first one, and there's some stupid stuff - like the entire city thinking the Ghostbusters faked the evens of the first movie - but hot damn, it's funny. It's a great addition to the franchise and grows the mythology of that universe. It makes me excited about the 3rd one, which will be directed by Ivan Reitman's son, Jason.
Rating: Thumbs up.
A very bare bones review was originally written on July 28, 2010. It was updated for your reading pleasure wa November 1, 2019 and again on Niovmber 21, 2021.
