Ghostbusters II
Alright, so hot take, but this movie is better than the first one. I only watched this one a single time, while I've watched the first one dozens of times, but coming back two decades later, this is so much more fun!
Now, I want to get the biggest complaint out of the way first, one that I know a lot of people have about this movie but that I think it handles better than more modern movies. Ghostbusters II has the issue of bringing back the heroes as losers with destroyed lives. Now, while that's true, it lasts only about 15 minutes of the movie and leads to some entertaining and realistic scenes. Of course, the buck would have to stop somewhere after the first movie. That was an insane amount of damage! Also, them being portrayed as losers isn't as bad as Luke Skywalker drinking blue alien breast milk and trying to die. Nor is it as bad as Indiana Jones having lost the respect of his students, spending the whole movie being upstaged, and wanting to die. No, this movie just makes our characters take a step down for a little bit, but then I'd argue that they soar to their highest high in this film.
I had a blast with this one! I felt the characters had much more natural chemistry with each other, and the jokes landed a lot better. The villain is way more intimidating and an actual ghost this time. The soundtrack is also way more diverse and has better music than the first movie. The special effects are also plainly superior.
What I think makes this work so well is that the movie never loses sight of who these characters are. They're still the same lovable, sarcastic weirdos we've come to know and love, and watching them slowly get back on their feet is genuinely satisfying. Their reputations might be ruined, but their personalities and chemistry are still very much intact. The movie doesn't try to convince us that these characters are pathetic failures who need to be fundamentally reinvented. Instead, it gives them a temporary setback before letting them prove once again why they're the Ghostbusters. Honestly, I think that's exactly how you should handle bringing back beloved characters!
Overall, this is a fantastic improvement over the first one! I found myself having a better time with just about every aspect of this movie, from the humor and character interactions to the villain, soundtrack, and special effects. But what really makes this sequel shine is that it understands what made the original so special in the first place. It takes these beloved characters, puts them through a rough patch, and gives them the opportunity to come back stronger than ever. I honestly can't believe it took me two decades to revisit this one, but I'm so glad I did. If anything, this has made me appreciate Ghostbusters II even more, and I might just have to revisit it a whole lot more often!
Now, I want to get the biggest complaint out of the way first, one that I know a lot of people have about this movie but that I think it handles better than more modern movies. Ghostbusters II has the issue of bringing back the heroes as losers with destroyed lives. Now, while that's true, it lasts only about 15 minutes of the movie and leads to some entertaining and realistic scenes. Of course, the buck would have to stop somewhere after the first movie. That was an insane amount of damage! Also, them being portrayed as losers isn't as bad as Luke Skywalker drinking blue alien breast milk and trying to die. Nor is it as bad as Indiana Jones having lost the respect of his students, spending the whole movie being upstaged, and wanting to die. No, this movie just makes our characters take a step down for a little bit, but then I'd argue that they soar to their highest high in this film.
I had a blast with this one! I felt the characters had much more natural chemistry with each other, and the jokes landed a lot better. The villain is way more intimidating and an actual ghost this time. The soundtrack is also way more diverse and has better music than the first movie. The special effects are also plainly superior.
What I think makes this work so well is that the movie never loses sight of who these characters are. They're still the same lovable, sarcastic weirdos we've come to know and love, and watching them slowly get back on their feet is genuinely satisfying. Their reputations might be ruined, but their personalities and chemistry are still very much intact. The movie doesn't try to convince us that these characters are pathetic failures who need to be fundamentally reinvented. Instead, it gives them a temporary setback before letting them prove once again why they're the Ghostbusters. Honestly, I think that's exactly how you should handle bringing back beloved characters!
Overall, this is a fantastic improvement over the first one! I found myself having a better time with just about every aspect of this movie, from the humor and character interactions to the villain, soundtrack, and special effects. But what really makes this sequel shine is that it understands what made the original so special in the first place. It takes these beloved characters, puts them through a rough patch, and gives them the opportunity to come back stronger than ever. I honestly can't believe it took me two decades to revisit this one, but I'm so glad I did. If anything, this has made me appreciate Ghostbusters II even more, and I might just have to revisit it a whole lot more often!
Mini Review: Hot take: this is better than the first Ghostbusters! Revisiting it two decades later, I had a real blast! The heroes start as losers, but that lasts only 15 minutes and feels realistic after the damage they caused. It’s nothing like Luke Skywalker drinking blue breast milk and wanting to die, or Indiana Jones being upstaged. The cast has better chemistry, the jokes land harder, and the villain, soundtrack, and effects shine. It never loses sight of these lovable weirdos. A fantastic sequel too!
Watch the Trailer