Ghostbusters II
| Ghostbusters II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Ivan Reitman |
| Written by | Dan Aykroyd Harold Ramis |
| Produced by | Bernie Brillstein Ivan Reitman |
| Starring | Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Running time | 102 min. |
Ghostbusters II is the 1989 sequel of Ghostbusters (1984); the sci-fi comedy films are about four parapsychologists.
Plot
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It is five years after the events of Ghostbusters. Someone has dug up an excuse to ban them from operating. As a result they must get a living by such means as Ray and Winston performing at parties. And to top it off, they now have a lawsuit for all the damage that they have caused.
Ray now owns an occult book shop, Winston performs at children's parties with Ray, Peter has his own TV series, and Egon is now a medical scientist. Dana and Peter never hooked up, and she had a baby named Oscar with someone else. Dana now cleans old paintings at an art museum with Dr. Janosz Poha. He is at work on a painting of Vigo, who was an evil medieval ruler, who is brought back to life by this painting.
One day, a slime rises up from a subway or service tunnel, and gets on Dana's baby carriage wheel. The ooze possesses inanimate objects and makes them move. The carriage goes into oncoming traffic. Oscar ends up safe, but she is wondering why. She goes to Egon, who examines the baby. Eventually, the original Ghostbusters get back together, and attempt to solve the mystery.
They find the slime, flowing through tunnels and subways, and that the slime had been accumulating under the city for decades. After experimenting with Jackie Wilson's "Higher And Higher", they find that music makes it move. Further investigation into the river of slime beneath the city reveals that it is feeding off the bad vibes of the New Yorkers above, and that it is making the painting of Vigo come to life; Vigo who plans to use the slime to engulf New York with his evil.
They are tried by Judge Wexler for breaking the legal ban that stopped them from paranormal work. The exhibits at the trial include their proton packs and a big jar of the slime. Wexler gets into such a bad temper for so long, that the slime generates in the courtroom the dangerously powerful ghosts of two men who Wexler had sent to the electric chair earlier. Wexler is compelled to remove the ban to let the Ghostbusters use their kit to bust the two ghosts; the Ghostbusters are now back in business. (Judge Wexler was Judge Beane in early versions of the script, and also in a comic made of the movie story.)
When the Ghostbusters try to inform the mayor about the danger from the slime, he refuses to take them seriously and throws them out. To protect the mayor's image Jack Hardemeyer, the mayor's publicist, gets them escorted to a psychiatric ward in Parkview Hospital, deemed to be insane.
With the Ghostbusters imprisoned, Vigo's evil increases and New York is engulfed in supernatural chaos and many spectacular ghost sightings, including the ghost of the Titanic completing its voyage. Eventually, it is learned why Oscar was spared from harm: Vigo - with Janosz as his lackey - desires the baby as a new host to be born into at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Oscar is kidnapped and brought back to the museum where Vigo's painting is. The mayhem about town eventually convinces the mayor to ask for the Ghostbusters. When he finds out that Hardemeyer had them locked up, he fires Hardemeyer and releases the Ghostbusters, who journey to the museum to rescue Oscar. But a thick dome of the 'mood slime' has risen around the building and hardened, shutting them out of it. Remembering how the slime reacted to human emotion, the Ghostbusters cover the Statue of Liberty - a symbol of pureness and hope - with the slime and played music to it. The PKE in the slime possesses the statue and brings it to life. They direct the statue to walk to the museum and, with the help of the now positively-inspired crowd surrounding the building, use it to smash through the slime shell and let them into the building to confront Vigo. At first their efforts to quell Vigo's attempt to possess Oscar prove to have little effect, but once again with the help of the 'mood slime' and the good vibes of the citizens outside, the Ghostbusters manage to trap Vigo back inside his painting. The paint comes off the painting, and that is the end of Vigo. Finally recognizing their efforts in saving the city not once but twice, the mayor reinstates them to their original positions, and their business booms once again.
Interesting facts
- The original Laserdisc and VHS versions of the film were made incorrectly. Instead of being produced either in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 or panned and scanned at the aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the movie was panned and scanned in a 1.66:1 frame. Compared to the 'proper' pan and scan version at 1.33:1, width is definitely gained on the edges, though very slightly. However, the DVD version was transferred and encoded at the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.
- There are no opening titles. The movie's title is represented by an animation of the movie's logo, but it is never displayed onscreen.
- The logo used in the movie is unique. Unlike the logo that appears in marketing materials, it is the original, lost design: the ghost has two legs stepping through the red symbol. After it was designed for the movie title intro, the design was lost, so it had to be redone. However, when it was redrawn they forgot to add in the second leg! So it appears the ghost has only one leg, or a funny-looking tail. You can tell it's meant to be a leg, as there is an indication of a foot and an ankle.
Cast
- Bill Murray (Dr. Peter Venkman)
- Dan Aykroyd (Dr. Raymond Stantz)
- Harold Ramis (Dr. Egon Spengler)
- Rick Moranis (Louis Tully)
- Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett)
- Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore)