1989's Ghostbusters: Afterlife on the horizon, a popular hope among fans is that Ghostbusters finally gets a worthy follow-up. Sadly, this isn't surprising, as Ghostbusters 2 has long been seen as disappointing and lackluster, despite the fact that it was a box office smash at the time.
On one hand, this negative reaction could be explained as due to Ghostbusters 2 simply not being as good as the original movie, but realistically, few sequels are. On top of that factor, Ghostbusters is a landmark film for many, with generations of viewers being introduced to the hilarious and fantastical world co-created by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, and having it shape their senses of humor. Ghostbusters is one of those comedies that many quote so often they could form entire conversations with fellow fans out of lines from it. It's that memorable.
Ghostbusters was a movie that came out at exactly the right time, with exactly the right script and exactly the right players involved. Ghostbusters 2 was never going to top, or even equal, the original, and the best it could hope to offer fans was a fun companion piece with the same spirit. Thankfully, that's exactly what it ended up being.
Why Ghostbusters 2 Is a Worthy Sequel
To be fair, Ghostbusters 2 is certainly a flawed film. It's sometimes too silly for its own good, such as with the dancing toaster, and the sub-plot about Jeanine and Louis hooking up isn't very interesting. As mentioned, this sequel is by no means in the original's league. The thing is, hating it because of that is punishing a fun movie for not being an amazing movie. Both are just different shades of good, and both can be worthwhile. So, it's time to look at what Ghostbusters 2 does right.
For starters, the chemistry between the four leads remains as sharp as ever, and the characters just as likeable, even if Venkman (Bill Murray) continues to be a likeable flavor of jerk. Sigourney Weaver is still great as Dana Barrett, and Vigo the Carpathian is a really cool, captivating villain. Peter MacNicol is also hilarious as Vigo's henchman Janosz. Ghostbusters 2 is just downright funny too, thanks to scenes like Louis' comically terrible performance as the Ghostbusters' lawyer, or Venkman's dismayed reaction to his three colleagues interrupting his date with Dana while in their underpants and dripping with pink slime. Other gags, such as the Titanic finally arriving in New York as a ghost ship, and Venkman's droll turn as a talk show host on World of the Psychic, also land well.
The Ghostbusters stomping through New York inside a slime-animated Statue of Liberty is also a ton of fun, and makes for a nice counterpoint to the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man malevolently doing so in the first film. If anything, Ghostbusters 2's biggest flaw might be that it's too similar to the original, with many plot beats that echo it, and jokes that seem to be trying to imitate its style. That said though, there's no real logical reason why anyone who loved the original Ghostbusters shouldn't love Ghostbusters 2. It's not as good, but few comedies are. Instead it's more of just about everything people loved, with the same great characters, and the same creative team's guiding hand.
