It took five years for the sequel to one of 1984's biggest hits to finally get a sequel. Almost everyone returned for the second half of "Ghostbusters" and surprisingly, most of what made the first so enjoyable returns. It's not quite as funny and doesn't quite move as fast, but the improved special effects and great cast make sure this one is a worthy follow-up.
Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver), now divorced with a baby, nearly loses her kin when its carriage mysteriously moves into traffic on a busy street. She turns to the only people she knows. Now out of business, the Ghostbusters must convince a city, which turned them away, that another evil force (one that feeds off the evil of the citizens in New York) is about to break loose on New Years Eve.
Most of this sequel focuses on Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) and Dana Barrett. They shared a semi-relationship in the first film and here it really gets fleshed out. It gives at least some of the characters some depth and ends up pulling both movies together quickly so all the loose ends are tied up. Nearly the entire cast returns, though it seems like Ernie Hudson was an afterthought. You can count how many minutes of screen time he gets on one hand.
ILM does some incredible work here, arguably some of the best they've ever done, not including CGI-reliant films. The scene in the courtroom is absolutely spectacular while the two montages feature some great designs (some of which could have been included as the main antagonist). When the Ghostbusters finally make their walk down the streets of New York inside the Statue of Liberty (while the streets are filled with on-lookers), your jaw just drops. It's certainly more impressive than the Marshmallow Man in the first film.
The problem is that no special effect can cover-up a rather lackluster script, which at times really strains for laughs. Since this group now knows what they're doing, most of the comedy from the original is gone. Sight gags are at a minimum and everything leans more towards one-liners. Most of the comedy is spread thin as well, seemingly stretching a 100-minute feature into what seems like a three-hour epic. Finally, how scary can a guy be when he jumps out a painting? Vigo is hardly a match for the killer dogs in the original.
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