HALLOWEEN REVIEW OF THE DAY: Ghostbusters II (1989)

The sequel to the ever so popular movie Ghostbusters, the heroes Venkman, Ray, Egon, and Winston are back and this time they have to face an underground route of slime that feeds on peoples' mean spirited nature and inner evil, plus a new villain called Vigo who is out to get Dana Barrett's baby Oscar, so that he can possess the body and be reborn in order to rule the world. First thing I want to get out of the way in this review is yes, this is much weaker than the first movie. But does it make it a horrible movie because it doesn't match the charm of the first one? Of course not. You can't make a statement that a first movie is always better than the sequel. I think there are several sequels that are better than the first. This movie does not quite  hold up, but that's because it is missing some of the elements that made the first Ghostbusters so great. What's very tragic is that most of the jokes in this movie actually do work and are almost as memorable as the ones in the first movie. Another thing is that the characters, especially the main ones, sort of hold up still and they succeed to represent themselves. So you might be wondering, then why does Ghostbusters II not quite as hold up as the first one. Unfortunately, it is because of the most important element of a movie, the story. Usually it's more the characters than story is what makes a comedy good. You can have a cliched. tired, absurd, and stupid story but if you at least have a cast of enjoyable and hilarious characters, well that's pretty much all you need you got a classic. The magic of Ghostbusters is that it did have great and funny characters to like as well as a yes absurd and weird, but still very creative and engaging concept and story. That is what makes the first Ghostbusters so special and why it greatly stands out from a lot of comedies. There wasn't the same passion present in this movie as it was in the first movie. This was more like the first one was such a massive hit both commercially and critically, that the studio begged Dan Aykryod and Harold Ramis to write a sequel and it seemed that making money was more the passion than making an original and enjoyable comedy. But isn't that the case with most movies nowadays? Anyways the story does not seem as enjoyable as the one in the first. It's sort of slow, the climax is kind of boring, and the villain is not as memorable, only to die-hard Ghostbusters fans. But for regular movie audiences, the villain would fly right over their heads. Overall all I can say is that Ghostbusters II is just average. There's nothing insulting or anything to make you groan with annoyance, there are still funny jokes and moments, it's just mediocre and missing that special charm and atmosphere and it feels kind of forced. Which I fear might happen if a 3rd is ever released. Grade: AP