Ghostbusters 2 Movie Review

Ghostbusters 2 [Ghostbustes II] (1989)

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Written by: Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis (characters, written by)
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Peter MacNicol
Rated: PG
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Plot
The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.

Verdict
This is a good movie on its own, but it has to live in the shadow of the original Ghostbusters. This borrows a lot of that blueprint while adding sequel bloat, but it never feels as grounded as the original. Comparisons are inevitable, and this plays up to the cartoon series which doesn't help. I like the premise that builds on the original movie, but certain aspects feel sillier and indulgent. It can never escape the shadow of the original.
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Review
There's no way to avoid comparing this to Ghostbusters. This is a solid movie, but the closest comparison is an absolutely great movie which makes the sequel lesser than. You can tell this movie had a bigger budget because it's over the top more frequently which I don't like. This one has more visual effects, and while it's not as quotable or as densely funny as the original it still has it's moments. 

This one very much follows the blueprint of the first movie with a love interest for Pete, a bureaucrat antagonist, and a mythical super villain. It's more over the top and that's comparing it to a movie that had a fifty foot tall marshmallow man. The sequel is geared a bit more for kids and has a couple responses to the Ghostbusters cartoon. No one anticipated the first moving being a hit with kids and this one embraces that slightly.

Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis play Ray, Winston, Pete, Egon.

I like how this starts. The Ghostbusters are having a hard time, resorting to children's' birthday parties to make a buck. Pete hosts a psychic show and Ray sells occult books. They're called back into action when their old friend Dana encounters something super natural.

Dana seems to be a conduit to the supernatural, being a direct link to Zuul in the first movie and Vigo in this one. I don't like how silly her art director boss is. It feels like he's trying to do some of what Rick Moranis does, and even Moranis's performance isn't as good as the first movie. He was comic relief the first time out, and the movie doesn't quite know what to do with him now. Secretary Janine looks quite different and her look is from the cartoon. No one in the cartoon matches their movie counterparts so I don't know why they chose to  change just her.

Vigo the Carpathian is the painting, a man missing his kitty.

This takes the sequel route of trying to copy the first but do it on a bigger budget. Because of that this movie will always be inferior because it doesn't do it as well. It's just an imitation. I wish this movie was more ambitious. The ending includes a painting of the Ghostbusters that I've read was Aykroyd's response to his character's look in the movie. The painting feels like an out of place commentary or dig at the cartoon.

This suffers from sequel bloat. There's more than a few scenes that are included just for one liners, and there's certainly a bit of fan service. This movie would certainly be regarded higher if it didn't follow a masterpiece.