Ghostbusters II

I think this is the sort of film that gave sequels their bad name.

The original film featured our underdog heroes working their way up to success and popularity defeating ghosts, and getting Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) and Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) together.

This one opens with them having lost all of that, and then spending the entire film getting it all back a second time.

But what's the point, when there might well be a third film to take it all away from them again?

Though the tone throughout is still one of good enjoyable silliness, it has to overcome slower scenes, dreary music and the sure-fire death knell of any comedy - a baby. The kid is cute, certainly, nice even, but no amount of work is ever going to make him/her a worthwhile reason to see less of Bill Murray and/or Dan Ackroyd. It should be on car stickers - "Babies Kill Comedies".

(Now, Peter MacNicol is funny.)

Throw in a city-wide infestation of ghosts that - on this airing at least - never gets resolved, and we have the definitive style-over-substance sequel.

Even the really funny guy from the first film (Venkman) is reduced to spending most of this one miserable.

Overall, I liked this film, and will happily watch a third one if they ever get around to finally shooting it. Likewise, I have every confidence that I'll enjoy it again too.

I guess I don't mind because I just don't care about it enough.

Available here.