Ghostbusters II Review

Ghostbusters II


Release Date: 16th November 1989 - Australia


Production Companies
Columbia Pictures

Distribution
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Comedy/Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 108 minutes


Budget: $37,000,000

Box Office Gross: $215,394,738 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
After five years of catching pesky ghosts and saving New York from destruction, the Ghostbusters get sued for costing the city millions in property damage, which drove them out of business. They get called back into action when Dana Barrett has ghost troubles again. They discover that Manhattan is again on the brink of supernatural doom, with a river of ectoplasmic slime bubbling from an underground sewer. And an evil tyrant from the sixteenth century, attempting to possess Dana's baby and be reborn. Can the Ghostbusters save Manhattan once more for the second time before the city falls into eternal darkness?


Cast

Bill Murray - Dr. Peter Venkman

Dan Aykroyd - Dr. Raymond Stantz

Harold Ramis - Dr. Egon Spengler

Ernie Hudson - Winston Zeddemore

Sigourney Weaver - Dana
Barrett

Rick Moranis - Louis Tully

Annie Potts - Janine Melintz
Peter MacNicol - Dr. Janosz Poha
Kurt Fuller - Hardemeyer
Harris Yulin - The Judge
Wilhelm von Homburg - Vigo

Max von Sydow - Vigo (Voice) (Uncredited)

David Marguiles - The Mayor of NY

Janet Margolin - The Prosecutor

William T. Deutschendorf - Baby Oscar

Henry J. Deutschendorf II - Baby Oscar

Michael P. Moran - Frank the Doorman

Olivia Ward - Meter Maid

Mordecai Lawner - Man with a Ticket

Susan Boehm - Young Woman on Crutches

Mary Ellen Trainor - Brownstone Mother

Christopher Villaseñor - Brownstone Boy #1

Jason Reitman - Brownstone Boy #2 (Cameo)

Aaron Lustig - Norman the Producer

Page Leong - Spengler's Assistant

Mark Schneider - Arguing Couple

Valery Pappas - Arguing Couple

Catherine Reitman - Girl with Puppy (Cameo)

Dave Florek - First Cop

Richard Foronjy - Con Ed Supervisor

George P. Wilbur - Bailiff

Sharon Kramer - Stenographer

Walter Flanagan - Rudy the Museum Guard

Bobby Brown - Mayor's Doorman (Cameo)

Christopher Neame - Maitre D'

Judy Ovitz - Slimed Restaurant Patron

Tom Dugan - Restaurant Cop #1

Angelo Dimascio - Restaurant Cop #2

Robert Alan Beuth - Store Manager

Ralph Monaco - Police Sergeant

Ron Cummins - Police Lieutenant

Cheech Marin - Dock Supervisor (Cameo)

Yvette Cruise - Maria, Dana's Maid

John Hammil - Detective #1

Ray Glanzmann - Detective #2

Alex Zimmerman - Detective #3

Brian Doyle-Murray - Psychiatrist (Cameo)

Louise Troy - Woman with Fur Coat

Douglas Seale - Plaza Hotel Man

Ben Stein - Public Works Official

Erik Holland - Fire Commissioner

Philip Baker Hall - Police Commissioner

Kevin Dunn - Milton Angland (Uncredited)

Ivan Reitman - Man Walking Outside Firehouse

(Cameo)/Slimer (Voice) (Uncredited)

Crew
Producer/Director - Ivan Reitman

Based on Characters/Writers - Harold Ramis

and Dan Aykroyd

Associate Producer/Film Editor -
Sheldon Kahn

Associate Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Gordon A. Webb
Executive Producers - Bernie Brillstein,
Michael C. Gross and Joe Medjuck

Casting Director - Michael Chinich

Production Designer - Bo Welch
Art Director - Tom Duffield
Set Decorator - Cheryl Carasik

Costume Designer - Gloria Gresham

Creature & Makeup Designer: ILM -

Tim Lawrence

Director of Photography - Michael Chapman

Director of Photography: New York Second Unit -

Rexford L. Mutz

Camera Operators - Robert Edesa and

Michael Genne

Steadicam Operator: New York - Larry McConkey

First Assistant Director - Peter Giuliano

Second Unit Director - Michael D. Moore
Stunt Coordinator - Joel Kramer

Creature Effects: Theatre and Subway Ghosts -

Rick Lazzarini

Animatronics - Tommy Williamson

Visual Effects Supervisor - Dennis Muren

Visual Effects Supervisor: Apogee - Sam Nicholson

Chief Visual Effects Coordinator: ILM - Ned Gorman

Visual Effects Producer - Janet Healy
Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Janet Mohler

Visual Effects Producer: VCE - Peter Kuran

Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Harley Jessup

Production Supervisor: Apogee - John Swallow
Director of Effects Photography: ILM - Mark Vargo

Visual Effects Camera Operators: ILM -

Terry Chostner, Pat Sweeney, Peter Daulton

and Martin Rosenberg

Bathtub Trainer: ILM - Thomas Floutz
Animation Supervisor: ILM - Tom Bertino

Animation Camera Operator: ILM - Patrick T. Myers
Model Shop Supervisor: ILM - Bill George

Chief Model Makers: ILM - Barbara Affonso,

Jeff Olson and Lorne Peterson

Model Shop: Apogee - Grant McCune,

Tom Park and William Shourt

Lead Sculptor & Prosthetics: ILM - Mike Smithson

Lead Mechanical Animator: ILM - Allen Coulter

Lead Specialty Costumer: ILM - Camilla Hennerman

Optical: Apogee - Dennis Dorney,

Nick G. Linardos and Jerry Pooler

Stage Shooting Coordinator: ILM - Mark S. Miller

Film Editor - Donn Cambern

Supervising Sound Editors - Fred Judkins

and Tom C. McCarthy

Special Sound Effects: The Sound Choice -

Ed Bannon and Gary Rydstrom

Production Sound Mixer - Gene S. Cantamessa

Sound Re-Recording Crew Chief -

Anna Behlmer

Re-Recording Mixers - Gary C. Bourgeois,

Chris Carpenter and Jim Fitzpatrick

Music - Randy Edelman

Music Supervisor - Peter Afterman


Review

After delivering the biggest box office draw of 1984, the studio was riding high on the success of the original Ghostbusters film and animated series. They began pressuring some of the cast and crew, like director Ivan Reitman and actors/writers Harold Ramis and Dan Akyroyd, into working on a sequel. This sequel turned out to be nearly as profitable as the first blockbuster. I am sorry to say about the quality of the films by comparison. The sequel is not worth it. GHOSTBUSTERS II only provided some laughs and brought nothing new, as the plot is a retread of its predecessor. The second film may have been a rush job. And with some tender loving care, it could have had some potential.

It was good to see all the original actors back together again in their performances. I commend each actor for doing their best to work with a subpar script.

GHOSTBUSTERS II isn't always unwatchable, and it's good to see it again after two times in a row. You don't feel like watching it again as you did with the first. I didn't enjoy this movie as much as the original.

Star rating: (5/10) Average

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