Ghostbusters II (1989)

The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Dan Aykroyd (characters), Harold Ramis (characters)

Stars:

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Murray	...	Dr. Peter Venkman
Dan Aykroyd	...	Dr. Raymond Stantz
Sigourney Weaver	...	Dana Barrett
Harold Ramis	...	Dr. Egon Spengler
Rick Moranis	...	Louis Tully
Ernie Hudson	...	Winston Zeddemore
Annie Potts	...	Janine Melnitz
Peter MacNicol	...	Dr. Janosz Poha
Harris Yulin	...	The Judge
David Margulies	...	The Mayor of NY
Kurt Fuller	...	Hardemeyer
Janet Margolin	...	The Prosecutor
Wilhelm von Homburg	...	Vigo
William T. Deutschendorf	...	Baby Oscar (as Will Deutschendorf)
Henry J. Deutschendorf II	...	Baby Oscar (as Hank Deutschendorf)

Storyline

Having lost their status and credibility five years after covering New York City with marshmallow in Ghostbusters (1984), the once-famous band of spirit-hunters find themselves struggling to keep afloat, working odd jobs. However, when Dana Barrett and her baby, Oscar, have yet another terrifying encounter with the paranormal, it's up to Peter Venkman and his fearless team of supernatural crime-fighters to save the day. Now, once more, humanity is in danger, as rivers of slimy psycho-reactive ectoplasm, and the dreadful manifestation of the evil sixteenth-century tyrant, Vigo the Carpathian, threaten to plunge the entire city into darkness unless the selfless Ghostbusters take action. Can they save the world for the second time?

---

Plot Keywords:

new york city | ghostbuster | baby | ghost | slime | 

---

Taglines:

Guess who's coming to save the world again?

---

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghostbusters II: River of Slime

Filming Locations:

Val's Restaurant, 10130 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$37,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,472,894, 18 June 1989

Gross USA:

$112,494,738

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$215,394,738

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Stereo (Germany, 35 mm prints) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene featuring Ray driving Ecto-1A recklessly at speed, as a result of being possessed while examining Vigo's painting, was filmed but not used in the final edit. Some shots, including Ray running a red light, and Peter, sitting in the back, pulling a surprised face were used in the montage as the Ghostbusters go back into business.

---

Goofs

When Ray counts to 3 and uses the proton packs on Vigo, Winston calls Ray "Dan."

---

Quotes

Dana: Hello, Peter.
Peter Venkman: [whips around Melodramatically, and speaks in a soap opera-esque deep tone] Hello, Dana.

---

Crazy Credits

There is a brief scene in the end credits of the Ghostbusters being honored at an apparently restored Statue of Liberty.

---

Alternate Versions

After the ghostbusters visit the museum and inspect the painting, Ray falls under Vigo's hypnotic gaze and goes crazy through the streets, running a red light and nearly killing the four of them. Winston finally manages to gain control and the Ectomobile runs into a tree. Peter remarks to Egon to watch Ray and not let him shave by himself. This scene was cut, but the shot of the Ectomobile running the red light and Peter and Egon trading bewildered looks was saved for the montage sequence. However, this sequence remained in the novelization.

---

Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Worst Films of 1989 (1990)

---

Soundtracks

Ghostbusters
Written and Performed by Ray Parker Jr.
Produced by Ray Parker Jr.
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.

User Reviews

They're the best, they're beautiful, they're the only Ghostbusters - and they're back!

In the movie world there are a lot of movies that have sequels. It is also a known fact that people talk about a sequel, commenting that it was either better or worse than its predecessor. However when it comes to the sequel for ‘one of the biggest films of the 1980's', that being Ghostbusters II, the fuss was not so big and the talk was not so loud, about it being good or bad. Although it was made a while ago, Ghostbusters II has many nostalgic moments, which makes me wonder why it is was not a hit. When Venkman says ‘Sometimes, weird things happen, someone has to deal with it, and who are you gonna call?!', you know it is time once again to call on the ‘Ghostbusters'.

Five years after waging a war on slime that cost New York City millions, the Ghostbusters find themselves out of business--until an ancient tyrant, preparing a return to the Earthly domain through a river of slime under the city and his portrait at the Manhattan Museum of Art, sets his sights on Dana Barrett's baby as the new home for his wicked soul! With the help of the Museum's possessed curator, he plans to turn New York into a really scary place to live! Now only the Ghostbusters can save New York City, by turning paranormal pest control into an art form!

The surprising part about this film is that almost every aspect from the first, returned to do it all a second time. Director Ivan Reitman does a grand job in directing Ghostbusters II. I am certain that he wanted to make this film as similar to the first Ghostbusters as he could, considering that formula seemed to be very popular with many movie fans. The screenplay was once again written by two of the stars of the movie, that being Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis. They certainly put a lot of thought into the humour being presented, which made this film seem very original and funny. If either of these areas of Ghostbusters II were a failure, than I am sure that this film would not have been anywhere near as good, as I thought it was.

I was glad to see all the cast back for a second time. The way we see the Ghostbusters five years on is very amusing. With two of them doing parties and being a joke, one doing a TV talk show and the other being a psychologist. Bill Murray still added that funny touch to the movie, with his character of Venkman being outrageous, which made the movie funny to watch. All the other Ghostbusters characters were good once again. Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore are as they were before, smart or as silly as ever. Breaking up this team would for me seem an injustice.

The supporting cast was also good. Dana Barrett was performed well again by Sigourney Weaver. Dana is a woman whose life always seems to be troubled by paranormal pests and a man by the name of Venkman. Joining the cast is ‘Ally MacBeals' Peter MacNichol, who is the zany character of Janosz Poha, Dana Barrett's possessed art boss. I also found it clever to have the characters of Janine (Annie Potts) and Louis (Rick Moranis) return as lovers, as this adds a bit of spice and variety to the story. Furthermore, Dana's baby Oscar was a cutie, and by the end of the movie was an integral character to the makeup of the story. Add in the return of Slimer, which although he was not as funny as I had hoped he would be, put a smile on my face every time I saw him.

There are some very funny scenes and lines in Ghostbusters II. I like how the movie starts, with Dana's baby carriage just taking off by itself. Then you also have the funny courtroom scene, where the Ghostbusters are charged as guilty of their crime, then in the next instant are tackling ghost in the courtroom, by the judge's requests! At the end of this scene the guys remark ‘Two in the box, ready to go, we be fast and they be slow'. Yet when we see a river of slime under the city, which can cause people to turn evil, you know that the fun has returned again. Then for a cop to exclaim that ‘the titanic has just arrived', was a very game scene to create in a movie, but very funny as well. Only the Ghostbusters could get away something like that. Furthermore, to top the first movies ‘Marshmallow man', the scene with the ‘Statue of Liberty' was very ingenious and makes for a hilarious time, as I wanted to see what would happen next.

I can not remember if this was a big movie back when it was released in 1989. I am surprised if it wasn't, as it was everything that you could want from a sequel, and that little bit more. Although it was not as good as the original, I still had a fun time watching the Ghostbusters a second time around and is must-see for fans. With great special effects, funny story and roles from all involved, Ghostbusters II is not as bad a sequel as some would have you to believe. What's more, I was reading the other day that there was talk of Ghostbusters III. Part of me is a little disappointed that this film never made it off the ground, because just imagine all the fun that we have missed out on seeing. Be ready to believe them all over again!

CMRS gives ‘Ghostbusters II': 4 (Very Good Film)