Ghostbusters II Appreciation

[Kahran Ramsus]

Well there is a big difference between being different from the original and being COMPLETELY different from the original. In terms of character and tone, I think GBII is perfectly fine. I just think it borrows too many specific plot points.

 

[Victarion]

IIRC it had something to do with an underground cavern of gnome-like creatures and Venkman dying and becoming a ghost, something to that effect. It seems the underground concept probably evolved into the river of slime.

I found a wiki saying that the busters would be going down some kind of long, underground tunnel. It really did sound drab. Do the IDW comics offer any further backstory on Vigo?

 

[Punisher Rising]

I found a wiki saying that the busters would be going down some kind of long, underground tunnel. It really did sound drab. Do the IDW comics offer any further backstory on Vigo?

Not as far as I know. Would be cool if they delved into his past more, I've heard they do quite a bit with Gozer.

 

[HopeOfTheFuture]

What was the original concept?

Also, the ghosts in those concept arts would've really made GBII much scarier than GBI, I think. The one with the mane could've been Vigo's second in command instead of Janosch.

I'm also very curious to the original story of GB2. Is there someone who can tell it (at least what has been revealed)?

 

[Punisher Rising]

I think it was described earlier from what's known about it, with the gnome creatures discovered living underground in the city.

 

[Spiderine]

My biggest problem with GBII is how similar it is to GBI. From the heroes being broke at the beginning to Venkman's constant wooing of Dana to the slimy government official minor villain who thinks they are frauds to the ghost catching montage to the giant Godzilla parody to them being imprisoned right before the climax, it hits a lot of the same beats as the first one.

It is good, but it prevents it from being particularly special or memorable compared to the original. I can see where those who saw the second one first might like it more because of it (and the first one less), but in my case I had been watching the original since it had come out.

Your right. There are a lot of plot similarities. Instead of going to jail they went to the nut house. I always found it odd how the people in NY wouldn't think supernatural activities couldn't happen again after seeing a Stay Puff marshmallow man years before trample the city. Did Vigo mind wipe everyone?

 

[Punisher Rising]

I guess you can factor it down to people simply being ungrateful to the Ghostbusters regardless of what occured. It's not unusual for someone to be unappreciated for their duties.

The one thing about GB2 I'd change is the showdown with Vigo. Up to that point it builds up good momentum and then Vigo goes down without a real battle. I think seeing the slime river burst inside the museum and creatures appearing out of it to assist him would've made for some great visuals, and we could've seen the Slime Blowers put to better use with the good slime dissolving the evil slime creatures and the Ghostbusters having to counter more of Vigo's powers.

Still, I love GB2 regardless

 

[Punisher Rising]

Another aspect of GB2 I like that I find is kinda overlooked is that the ghosts in it seemed more rooted in reality in a way. Vigo has a lot of similarities with Vlad Tepes and the Scoleri Brothers were murderers before their execution. I think it gives the movie an edge in a way, having the ghosts be a little more based in reality than just a typical movie monster.

Forgot about the Titanic as well (which was originally supposed to be the Hindenburg). I always found the Titanic scene quite eerie and unsettling as well, taking into account it was a real tragedy and the scene itself gives off an unnerving vibe.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Digging through my comics box this week I uncovered my GB2 comics adaptation by Now Comics that illustrates the characters and settings in RGB-style. The comics follow the film pretty closely but has a few scenes not included in the final cut of the film, including the whole possessed Ray/Ecto-1A sequence. It was probably based on an earlier draft of the script. It's also notable for being the only time we see Dana drawn as an RGB character.

 

[Punisher Rising]

I was googling GB stuff earlier when I came to this cool image I thought I'd share:

Awesome take on the Army Of Darkness poster. As much as I love GB2, looking at that is a reminder of the finale being such a missed opportunity. The painting itself could've served as a portal for demonic forms from Vigo's world to intrude through and maybe the painting could've even taken over the entire interior of the museum, with the slime river flowing all around and the Ghostbusters having to take on the various creatures Vigo is commanding to attack before fighting him. The climax is the sole issue I've got with GB2.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Recently where I live we had a power outage that lasted a couple of hours for the night, and I rummaged through my box of old video games. Guess what Game Boy game I found to keep me occupied for the night?

I forgot I even had that until I dug up my old Game Boy and saw it was inside. Very fun game and easily one of the better GB games besides the 2009 one and the Genesis version. It's a scaled down port of the New Ghostbusters II for the NES that saw release only in Europe.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Came across these stills of some deleted scenes from the film, even more excited to finally see them in a couple of months:

If the scenes are in decent enough quality I wonder if maybe an extended cut could be done? I guess we'll see in a couple of months.

 

[Punisher Rising]

May have been posted here before but I came across this:

List of special features:

GHOSTBUSTERS™ Blu-ray Special Features:
• NEW! Who You Gonna Call: A Ghostbusters Retrospective - Roundtable Discussion with Director Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd (Part 1)
• NEW! Poster Art Gallery – Gallery 1988 artwork
• NEW! “Ghostbusters” Music Video – Ray Parker, Jr.
• Legacy Content:
• Slimer Mode – Picture in Picture and Trivia Track
• Commentary w/ Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis & Joe Medjuck
• 10 Deleted Scenes
• 1984 Featurette
• Cast and Crew Featurette
• SFX Team Featurette
• Multi-Angles
• Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car
• Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery Storyboard Comparisons
GHOSTBUSTERS™ II Blu-ray Special Features:
• NEW! Time Is But A Window: Ghostbusters II and Beyond - Roundtable Discussion with Director Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd (Part 2)
• NEW! Deleted Scenes
• NEW! “On Our Own” Music Video – Bobby Brown

Kinda disappointing GB2 doesn't have more features for now but it's better than nothing, I suppose. Still super-excited to see it in HD and finally see the deleted scenes, there's a ton of them from the sounds of it.

 

[T-Ray]

I like GBII a lot. Nostalgia + my love of SF/supernatural flicks. Sure it may be not as good as the first, but it is valid sequel and it is a good movie in its own right.
The first movie, being, well, the first movie, had the surprise factor and an origin story which pulled the audience into its world. Sequel didn't have that, so maybe, that's why fans do not like it that much.

What I liked in GBII:

- story was OK, it feels smaller and more intimate than the first film which is rare in Hollywood movies.
- both Janos and Vigo were awesome villains. Cheesy but awesome.
- old cast is here, chemistry is intact,
- every scene with the ghosts is cool,
- Statue of Liberty ending was, actually, creative, IMO. Maybe it was a little sappy with all that "happy feelings", but bringing a giant statue to life made it awesome.

What I didn't like:

- rehashes of plot points and gags from the first movie

 

[Human Torch]

I always thought Ernie looked better with the mustache.I always wondered if he shaved it in response to the cartoon.Heck,Jeanine transformed into the cartoon version entirely.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah what ever happened to Jeanine's crush on Egon?

 

[BatLobster]

Caught the very last showing at my local AMC this Sunday. So glad I did, it was my first time seeing a GB movie on the big screen. It's amazing how seeing it remastered on the big screen really was like seeing it with fresh eyes. Loved every second of it.

I was thinking about GB II, and I love the movie. When I was a kid I even liked it more than the original. One thing I was thinking, and I'm not sure if it's been mentioned, is that GB II almost feels more like a typical third movie in a franchise than a second movie in terms of how it's setup. I don't mind that though, never did. GB will always be a duology to me. They missed the boat on making a third film IMO, and while on one hand I understand that the brand has value and you could make more fun/funny movies with this concept using new characters (even the cartoons have introduced new Ghostbusters), another part of me just wants it to stay left alone.

 

[Human Torch]

Yeah what ever happened to Jeanine's crush on Egon?

Yeah,she completely lost interest in those five years.

 

[Carnotaur3]

Yeah, but Egon always blew her off. Try keeping a crush on a guy who never shows interest for 5 years.

 

[Punisher Rising]

GB will always be a duology to me. They missed the boat on making a third film IMO, and while on one hand I understand that the brand has value and you could make more fun/funny movies with this concept using new characters (even the cartoons have introduced new Ghostbusters), another part of me just wants it to stay left alone.

Very much agreed. It's been 25 years since GB2 and it's just far too long. IMO it's better to have one good sequel than a bunch of bad ones, and at this rate so much could go wrong with GB3. I'd hate for GB3 to be a big disappointment.

 

[Octoberist]

I also think today's humor is just different. If they were to do another one, the whole tone would be off to appease today's crowd. Not to say one eras funnier than the other.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Indeed. I think right now too much can go wrong with GB3 and it's best to leave it at the two films.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

Recently where I live we had a power outage that lasted a couple of hours for the night, and I rummaged through my box of old video games. Guess what Game Boy game I found to keep me occupied for the night?

I forgot I even had that until I dug up my old Game Boy and saw it was inside. Very fun game and easily one of the better GB games besides the 2009 one and the Genesis version. It's a scaled down port of the New Ghostbusters II for the NES that saw release only in Europe.

I have the version of GB2 on the NES...and it sucks lol. That being said, I rewatched these (haven't seen either in a long time), and I still love both. Can't wait for the bluray bundle.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Me neither, the release is so close now.

 

[Punisher Rising]

Reading about the GB2 deleted scenes, it's disappointing to hear not all were included but I still can't wait to see what's been included, especially the Louis and Slimer scene. I'm so bummed they're not including the possessed Ray bit where he almost crashes the Ecto-1A, I wonder why they're not including that?