By Dash Jordan
(Note: This article was written prior to December 31st.)
Hey kids, it’s the Dash man here. Well, the end of December has come. Obviously, there’s been a change of plans since the sudden passing of Motorhead frontman & bassist, Lemmy Kilmister. As I’ve mentioned before, however, he would want us to move on as we remember him. Now, I was originally going to try and review ‘Return To Nuke ‘Em High Vol. 1’, one of the films made by Troma Entertainment. Which would make a lot of sense seeing as how Lemmy has made a few appearances in some of the Troma films. Unfortunately, while I do enjoy watching a film that features Lemmy Kilmister as the President Of The United States, I also can’t show or review a film that features radioactive vomit, exploding heads, green penis-monsters and a man ejaculating blood on a naked girl while her body is horribly melted from toxic waste. Look it up, if you dare. Anyway, I’ve decided to go with my original plan and review a different kind of comedy that actually takes place on New Year’s Eve. This movie, has had a bad rep over the years, someone needs to defend it, and who ya gonna call? DASH JORDAN!!!
Lord Lemmy, we thank thee for the underrated gem we are about to receive for nourishment of our senses. May we the road crew, who were born to raise Hell, hold an iron fist high and raise the Ace of Spades to the King Of Kings. May the children of Motorhead say…
Rock Out! Now, let’s get started!
‘Ghostbusters 2’ is the 1989 sequel to the 1984 supernatural-comedy classic and directed once again by Ivan Reitman. Set five years after the events of the original film, the Ghostbusters are forced to go out of business after the city of New York sues our heroes for property damage. After the discovery of a powerful-yet-mysterious slime(as well as plenty of more ghosts on the loose), the city finally decides to take their heads out their asses and let the Ghostbusters do what they do best; before a 16th century evil uses Dana Barrett’s child as a vessel to resurrect himself and brings forth the apocalypse, all on New Year’s Eve.
While the sequel was financially successful, it received mixed reviews from critics and left half, if not most of the fans disappointed and deeming it both an inferior sequel & a bad movie…really? Have you all gone mad?
Look, I know it’s not often that we get a sequel that’s just as good or better than the original. But, I still think that this a very good movie. Do I prefer the first movie, absolutely. But, not only do I actually enjoy the sequel but I believe that this film will still be far more enjoyable than the upcoming all-female reboot that should never be happening.
Don’t try to give me that male-chauvinist crap, either. Because you wouldn’t like it if we took Princess Leia and made her a man!
Anyway, some people would complain that there’s hardly anything new in this movie. Which isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. The special effects are still as awesome as the original. In fact, a few of the effects in this film are only slightly better. Much like the original film and the cartoon series, it’s fun to see all those different types of ghosts and monsters.
While the original may have been better written, ‘Ghostbusters 2’ was still funny. Yes, ‘Ghostbusters’ was a perfect balance of comedy and supernatural horror and the sequel did rely more of the comedy, but the jokes still work, for the most part. I’d like to think that it was because of the massive success of the cartoon series, they had to tone things down a bit for the follow-up film. Because let’s face it, some parts of ‘Ghostbusters’ was NOT for kids!
So at the very least, I’ll cut the guys some slack for trimming down some of the content…I mean, it’s not like they cut it down by much.
Now, let’s move on to the acting. Some of the newer additions were alright, like Janosz(played by Peter MacNicol) who I think was can all agree is a million times creepier than the actual ghosts in this movie.
Then there’s the film’s main villain; Vigo the Carpathian, played by Wilhelm von Homburg and voiced by Max von Sydow.
Yes, I will admit that Gozer from the last movie was far more powerful and memorable villain. But, Vigo is also pretty memorable. What makes this character stand out is the overall look and feel. Unlike Gozer who wasn’t revealed until the last act of the movie, Vigo the Carpathian(also known as Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the Torturer, Vigo the Despised & Vigo the Unholy) is featured throughout and has a truly menacing presence. Still don’t think he’s evil enough? Have you seen the kid he was trying to use for his plan?!?
You’re messed up, Viggy! VERY messed up!
As far as the returning cast, I still think they all did a good job. Even if the writing isn’t as good as the original, this just further proves how great the actors were in this film. Rick Moranis is still hilarious as Louis Tully. In fact, I actually think he’s a better written character in this movie. He may not be possessed in this one, but I got such a kick seeing this guy throw on one of the Ghostbuster uniforms. Now that’s balls!
As I’ve mentioned before, Dana Barrett returns in this movie. Who could honestly hate seeing Sigourney Weaver? She’s always great. Plus, the inclusion of a child in this movie actually helps the character grow and mature, as well as raise the stakes in this installment.
Do I really need to mention the Ghostbusters? It’s the friggin’ Ghostbusters, they’re back and they’re still awesome! Yeah, keep trying to be funny, Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. These are the REAL Ghostbusters!
If some of you guys are offended for not instantly hopping on board to see the upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot with the all-female cast. Let me at least explain that these guys WERE my childhood. Next to X-Men, Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles, I wanted to believe so hard that ghosts were real so I could hopefully be a Ghostbuster, and it was all because of these guys. In case you’re unfamiliar, let me introduce you to the guys; from my least favorite to my most favorite. First, we have the late, great Harold Ramis as Dr. Egon Spengler.
Egon is the ultra-serious brains of the group, creating the majority of the Ghostbusters’ equipment and is always there to give scientific exposition. This character was all the more memorable because of Ramis’ monotone voice and straight-man performance. Although, it does seem as though Egon as loosened up in this sequel. Next, we have the ever-quirky Dan Aykroyd as Dr. Ray Stantz.
This man is the heart of the Ghostbusters! Ray is the one member with the most knowledge and love of ghosts, spirits, and other forms of paranormal activity as he’s also a lover of the occult and has his own Occult bookstore. Aykroyd gives this character so much energy, that it’s almost infectious. Okay, now let’s move on to the always-awesome Ernie Hudson as Winston Zeddemore.
I don’t care what you guys think, Winston is more than just the “token-black guy”. While some of the other guys may have had their quirks, Winston was the most grounded of the bunch. In some ways, I find myself identifying with this character because he was originally a skeptic just looking for any job. Once he became a believer, he didn’t let that change his attitude. He was still the cool and collected voice-of-reason. That, and it’s great to see him get a little more screen time in this installment. Alright…the moment you’ve been waiting for, and it should be no secret to anyone. My absolute favorite Ghostbuster and my personal hero. The living legend of comedy himself, Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman.
The loveable A-Hole to end ALL lovable A-Holes, Bill Murray is the friggin’ man! No one but Bill can play Venkman. The man is so effortlessly cool, and he still manages to steal every scene he’s in with the sequel. He’s sly, obnoxious, sarcastic, witty AND has a way with the ladies…can you tell he was my role model growing up? I love all of the Ghostbusters, but there’s only one Peter Venkman.
If some of you guys are offended for not instantly hopping on board to see the upcoming ‘Ghostbusters’ reboot with the all-female cast. Let me at least explain that these guys WERE my childhood. Next to X-Men, Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles, I wanted to believe so hard that ghosts were real so I could hopefully be a Ghostbuster, and it was all because of these guys. Bottom line, Ghostbusters should never be rebooted, remade, re-imagined, or whatever the hell you Hollywood clowns what to call it. Regardless of gender or race, you do not and cannot replace the Ghostbusters.
If you haven’t seen this movie in a while or have yet to see this movie just because it’s a sequel, you’re seriously missing out. Shame on you! You’re gonna have sequels that are inferior to the originals, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. ‘Ghostbusters 2’ is STILL hilarious, it has a few creepy moments, an awesome villain, and a very-dated yet catchy late 80s/early 90s soundtrack. I seriously hope that you guys will open up and watch this movie this New Year’s Eve. I know I’m gonna watch it again as soon as I finish this review. Just a few minutes to go, and then…
I hope you guys enjoyed my review, as well as all my other articles. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me, here’s to another year and many more to come. As far as my resolutions? I hope to have less-hectic schedules, I hope to review more recent films, and I hope to not only still have you guys around, but a lot more fans. Here’s to 2016, I’ll see you guys very soon. Until then…here’s a late present for you guys…It’s Bobby Brown before the drugs!!!
Catch you guys, later…Gotta Dash!
Rating: 7.5/10
Written by Shane Moose
Ghostbusters 2(owned by Columbia Pictures)
Ghostbusters(owned by Columbia Pictures)
Ghostbusters(2016)(owned by Village Roadshow Pictures, Pascal Pictures, The Montecito Picture Company & Feigco Entertainment)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game(owned by Terminal Reality, Atari, Sony Pictures Consumer Products, Columbia Pictures, Zen Studios & Rainmaker Entertainment)
Motorhead’s Rock Out(owned by Motorhead & Steamhammer/SPV)
The Big Lebowski(owned by Gramercy Pictures, Working Title Films
& Polygram Filmed Entertainment)
Spaceballs(owned by MGM & Brooksfilms)
