Ghostbusters II Appreciation

[Punisher Rising]

Maybe there's just a bit more nostalgia with me for the first movie. The second didn't have the same euphoria but nonetheless I have always liked the second film. I do think its underrated and had some classic moments itself.

There are some problems I always had with it though. Why on earth does all of a sudden the New Yorkers don't believe in ghost anymore? After what went down in the first movie. They actually had them committed. There was no real logical reason why anyone would think they were behind the paranormal activities. That always bothered me.

Also never really liked them taking Statue of Liberty for a joyride.

People go unappreciated in real-life, so it's not too unfeasible to think even the Ghostbusters wouldn't be respected or appreciated despite what happened after the first movie. Not the only movie to show the title heroes not being appreciated by people for their efforts, in The Avengers the city officials were giving The Avengers flack for the destruction to Manhattan during the whole Chitauri invasion, which is ridiculous and disrespectful, but that's how life is, sometimes.

 

[Spiderine]

People go unappreciated in real-life, so it's not too unfeasible to think even the Ghostbusters wouldn't be respected or appreciated despite what happened after the first movie. Not the only movie to show the title heroes not being appreciated by people for their efforts, in The Avengers the city officials were giving The Avengers flack for the destruction to Manhattan during the whole Chitauri invasion, which is ridiculous and disrespectful, but that's how life is, sometimes.

I wasn't talking about them not being appreciated. It was explained that the city was broke due to all the damage that was done and they had the nerve to blame the Ghostbusters as the city turned on them for the financial troubles. Which made them has beens after many years of no ghosts showing up.

What I was getting at was that everyone seem to stop believing in ghosts again. They made the idea of Ghosts seem so absurd after they were showing up again? No one seem to acknowledge all of the activity that took place before. That didn't make sense to me. Remember the court scene? The electric chair ghosts broke out in front of the judge? There were other incidents. Yet everyone act like they just forgot or stop believing supernatural forces existed.

 

[Punisher Rising]

I see. I guess some people are just hard to convince :/ I definitely agree that it was unfair for the Ghostbusters to take so much flack after what happened but I guess they just got the short end of the stick. Even Ray ranted about it early on with his "ungrateful little yuppie larva" speech. Which about sums it all up.

 

[Elevator Man]

I wasn't talking about them not being appreciated. It was explained that the city was broke due to all the damage that was done and they had the nerve to blame the Ghostbusters as the city turned on them for the financial troubles. Which made them has beens after many years of no ghosts showing up.

Which didn't make sense b/c all the ghosts they caught in the first film were freed when Peck shut off the protection grid. I doubt destroying Gozer suddenly made the ghosts disappear. When Ray and Winston reminisce about that day they came off like they went out of business shortly after defeating Gozer. Which again didn't make sense b/c there was a bunch of ghosts from the protection grid that was still on the loose in NY and the world.

 

[Punisher Rising]

A lot of those ghosts I'd imagine they pursued and captured over the years, probably even during the timeframe of the RGB cartoon.

 

[Spiderine]

Which didn't make sense b/c all the ghosts they caught in the first film were freed when Peck shut off the protection grid. I doubt destroying Gozer suddenly made the ghosts disappear. When Ray and Winston reminisce about that day they came off like they went out of business shortly after defeating Gozer. Which again didn't make sense b/c there was a bunch of ghosts from the protection grid that was still on the loose in NY and the world.

Actually they did disappear once they destroyed Gozer and the temple that was housed at the building. That building was the conduit causing all of the supernatural ghosts to show up in the first place. Once it blew apart and Gozar was killed everything went back to normal.

 

[Spiderine]

the same thing happened in GB2. Vigo and his river of slime was causing the reemergence of ghosts. Once he was destroyed the city went back to normal. All the supernatural activity is being caused by the villains.

 

[Elevator Man]

A lot of those ghosts I'd imagine they pursued and captured over the years, probably even during the timeframe of the RGB cartoon.

Yeah but I don't think GB2 follows RGB. Does it? At beginning of GB2 the way Ray and Winston talked about defeating Gozer and saving NYC seem to imply that that was their last adventure.

Actually they did disappear once they destroyed Gozer and the temple that was housed at the building. That building was the conduit causing all of the supernatural ghosts to show up in the first place. Once it blew apart and Gozar was killed everything went back to normal.

Then how come Slimer was still on the loose at the end?

 

[PyroChamber]

I always imagine that sometime between GB1 and GB2 Walter Peck ran a smear campaign against them and the public took more of his side than the guys themselves. Which might be why the Mayor, mainly because of his aide, wouldn't speak to them until the **** really hit the fan.

 

[Spiderine]

Yeah but I don't think GB2 follows RGB. Does it? At beginning of GB2 the way Ray and Winston talked about defeating Gozer and saving NYC seem to imply that that was their last adventure.



Then how come Slimer was still on the loose at the end?

LOL.....yeah I knew you would bring that up. I always just thought they put that in for shock value more than anything else but they made it clear in GB2 that there were no more ghosts until Vigo arrived. Got to sell the sequel, right?

 

[Punisher Rising]

Yeah but I don't think GB2 follows RGB. Does it? At beginning of GB2 the way Ray and Winston talked about defeating Gozer and saving NYC seem to imply that that was their last adventure.

GB2 was acknowledged in an RGB episode, and it's assumed by most fans that the events of the first few RGB seasons occur sometime shortly after the first movie.

 

[Octoberist]

I wasn't talking about them not being appreciated. It was explained that the city was broke due to all the damage that was done and they had the nerve to blame the Ghostbusters as the city turned on them for the financial troubles. Which made them has beens after many years of no ghosts showing up.

What I was getting at was that everyone seem to stop believing in ghosts again. They made the idea of Ghosts seem so absurd after they were showing up again? No one seem to acknowledge all of the activity that took place before. That didn't make sense to me. Remember the court scene? The electric chair ghosts broke out in front of the judge? There were other incidents. Yet everyone act like they just forgot or stop believing supernatural forces existed.

I have to admit that there was a flaw in the script. Essentionally, GB2's script almost followed the beats of the original and it just made it easier for conflict IF people have forgotten about ghosts...even though Stay Puft was something that you couldn't forget. I'm sure it was recorded by cameras across the globe.

I felt like maybe they should've went down another route: That the Ghostbusters got so successful that it broke them apart as partners...and as friends. And maybe the ghost activity were so low that their business went up in flames. Just like rock stars.

 

[Travesty]

I used to work in a restaurant during college, and I would always talk to the cooks, and one of them always made fun of me cause I liked GB2 more than the first. Every time I asked for something, he would always say, "NO! You like GB2".

But yeah, I like GB2. t:

 

[Lord]

I've seen it appear on more than a few. It definitely doesn't belong on any IMO, even if it may not be among the best sequels it sure isn't among the worst. It doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as some truly terrible ones.

Neither really do Matrix Reloaded or Pirates of the Caribbean 2, yet they are listed

 

[Punisher Rising]

I still haven't seen The Matrix sequels nor any POTC films.

 

[Octoberist]

I would say watch the first Pirates. It was a lightening in a bottle.

 

[Lord]

I would say watch the first Pirates. It was a lightening in a bottle.

Pretty much like Ghostbusters, though in least the filmmakers were more motivated and had more energy while making Pirates 2 and 3 than the people behind Ghostbusters II

 

[Punisher Rising]

I would say watch the first Pirates. It was a lightening in a bottle.

I've been meaning to, I'll see if my library has a rental copy.

 

[Elevator Man]

GB2 was acknowledged in an RGB episode, and it's assumed by most fans that the events of the first few RGB seasons occur sometime shortly after the first movie.

I know that but does GB2 acknowledge any of the adventures from RGB prior to it. Nope. And I know "Slimer and the RGB" acknowledged Vigo and the psychoactive slime from GB2. But I don't believe the films themselves are connected to the cartoons though, b/c GB2 doesn't mention any events or adventures from RGB. The way it was implied (during the conversation between Winston and Ray at the beginning) in GB2 was that they went out of business shortly after destroying Gozer, saving NYC, and after being sued by the city b/c of the aftermath.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I know that but does GB2 acknowledge any of the adventures from RGB prior to it. Nope. And I know "Slimer and the RGB" acknowledged Vigo and the psychoactive slime from GB2. But I don't believe the films themselves are connected to the cartoons though, b/c GB2 doesn't mention any events or adventures from RGB. The way it was implied (during the conversation between Winston and Ray at the beginning) in GB2 was that they went out of business shortly after destroying Gozer, saving NYC, and after being sued by the city b/c of the aftermath.

In the RGB universe, the movies are in fact movies, based on the RGBs. In fact they bust some ghosts at the studio, and when the read a copy of the script, they note that the actors listed "Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis" sound like a law firm.

 

[Punisher Rising]

I know that but does GB2 acknowledge any of the adventures from RGB prior to it. Nope. And I know "Slimer and the RGB" acknowledged Vigo and the psychoactive slime from GB2. But I don't believe the films themselves are connected to the cartoons though, b/c GB2 doesn't mention any events or adventures from RGB. The way it was implied (during the conversation between Winston and Ray at the beginning) in GB2 was that they went out of business shortly after destroying Gozer, saving NYC, and after being sued by the city b/c of the aftermath.

I think Ray and Winston simply didn't mention any of the RGB events.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I think Ray and Winston simply didn't mention any of the RGB events.

I think all the major entities have commented and said RGB is not in continuity with the films. as I said above, the show itself references the film as a film, so I'd say that in the film universe, they do in fact get sued and shut down.
Anyway though, in RGB, they get declared as heroes and even get government contracts. However when the second film is made after a major event in the RGB universe, they spin the Hollywood magic and instead of making them heroes, make the story about the lawsuits and closing down. In short, the films are canon to RGB, but RGB is not canon to the films. funny enough, with the video game, they do eventually come under government contract like the RGB counterparts.

as for the debate on what happens between films, I've kind of come up with this idea. I'm not saying they don't have some ghost busting before they lose everything, but I doubt they continue on for long. As for ghosts, I don't think Slimer or the other ghosts just disappeared once Gozer was gone. I imagine some were absorbed or gave up their energy and passed on when Gozer came back, but we see Slimer at the end of the first film, and honestly, people die every day so I doubt there was truly a shortage of ghosts. What I do think though is in the presence of great power, or evil, as with the timing of Gozer's return, or the slime powering Vigo's return, the ghosts are able to draw more energy and in turn become more disruptive or able to travel beyond certain places they are normally bound to. Hence Slimer on the 12th floor, but after he is released terrorizes the city. Or the titanic arriving (not saying they were all evil ghosts, but the power the slime had collected was so great, it was drawing things to it.) The idea of such power drawing entities to it also explains why the movies focus so much on New York. not all the bad stuff happens in New York, and if something big was going down in say, Kentucky, I'm sure they'd go there too to stop it. But I think the slime had reached such a potency by the time the second film rolls around, the activity in the city is picking up again, and that is why there's five years of relative peace for the GB's to get screwed over.

 

[Punisher Rising]

I'm sure it had to have taken quite a bit of time for the slime river to get potent and deadly enough for the entities to take physical form and for Vigo to harness the negative emotions from it.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Damn, I had that toy as a kid (the Ecto-Charger). So many fun memories of that toy and the toy Proton Pack and Ghost Trap. Sadly they took a lot of damage from when I played with them and aren't in the best of shape these days :-/

I don't know if the Slime Blower was an influence on this toy but the Ecto Blaster looks a fair bit like the Slime Blower in the movie.

 

[Spiderine]

I doubt RGB would be in continuity with the films when Slimer was a good friend and roommate to them. That would have never happen in the films. They were separate universes. There were no ghost activity between GB1 and GB2.