Ghostbusters 1 & 2 released on Sept 16 from Sony/Columbia.
In 1984, movie-goers were treated to a new franchise that mixed a wonderful story and characters, big laughs, memorable dialogue, spooky suspense, gooey special effects, and blasteriffic action. Wait, we’re not actually doing this, are we? You’ve seen Ghostbusters, right?
Now Ghostbusters II has always been considerably less popular. This has been a bit baffling to me since it’s a great, funny sequel. This probably stems from people who watched it in 1989 and were disappointed that it somehow didn’t hold up to the near-perfect original. I can kind of see that. Speaking personally, I’m from the in-between generation that effectively missed the 1984 movie but discovered the ‘busters by way of their 1986 animated series. One Saturday afternoon my Dad put the movie on and I was flabbergasted — Ghostbusters twice in one day, and these, despite the insistence of the cartoon’s title, were REAL Ghostbusters! Soon after the sequel was announced and I got to catch that one theatrically.
There are certainly some things about Ghostbusters II that could be considered problems: Peter MacNicol’s villain Janosz is kind of annoying, but a lot of humor comes out of his character so I give this a pass. More troubling is that there’s very little actual ghostbusting: the courtroom scene with the Scoleri Brothers and the battle with Vigo the Carpathian at the end of the movie — that’s it. In my view though, the biggest departure is probably the least talked about: Randy Edelman’s score isn’t nearly as evocative as Elmer Bernstein’s original. But the maligned sequel is full of memorable lines and fun setups, and while it’s not as good as the original, it’s a blast to watch and has been on regular rotation in my household for years.
THE PACKAGE
Ghostbusters has seen plenty of Blu-Ray action, starting with pretty well-rounded release that left some fans unsatisfied due to its less than stellar picture quality. This was followed by an insultingly barebones release remastered from a superior 4K transfer as part of Sony’s utterly contemptuous, anti-consumer “Mastered in 4k” lineup, making neither disc a definitive edition. Its underrated sequel, meanwhile, has never made the jump to Blu-ray. Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form, that of a giant Digibook double feature! Both films are also receiving a new standalone release, but as of this writing the handsome 2-Pack is just a couple bucks more than buying either film individually, making it easily the better buy, even if you already own Ghostbusters — it’s receiving an upgrade over either previous edition, combining the best of both previous editions with set of features.
It’s worth mentioning that the Digibook’s booklet is not the same as the illustrated scrapbook included on the previous DVD 2-pack release. While that book was packed with storyboard illustrations and an article on the making of the classic logo, this new book is a more general overview of the two films. Also included is a letter to fans from Ivan Reitman, as a one-sheet insert.
Each of the older features ported over from previous DVD editions have been tacked with ten-second disclaimers that they’re from older SD sources, yadda-yadda. Totally unnecessary and highly annoying.
Special Features — Ghostbusters
Commentary with Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, & Joe Medjuck
Slimer Mode Picture-In-Picture
This is a fun mode for those who want a deeper look. As the film plays, recorded interviews and commentary and on-screen notes provide a secondary commentary for what’s happening on screen. Though Bill Murray is notably missing, there’s more than enough great material here to warrant a watch. The audio mixing on this feature is awful though; the supplemental audio is set at a much lower level than the film, so as it weaves in and out you’ll find yourself turning it way up for the commentary, then suddenly getting your eardrums blasted when the movie audio kicks back in.
Gallery 1988 Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Print Collection
Gallery 1988 is a terrific artistic tribute to movie nostalgia, and this feature serves up a bunch of Ghostbusters designs which you can scroll through manually or view as a slideshow. This feature’s menu is a bit odd, and actually requires those rarely used green and yellow buttons on your remote.
Who You Gonna Call: A Ghostbusters Retrospective (24:01)
Host Geoff Boucher interviews Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd on the making and legacy of the film. He’s a good, comfortable screen presence and asks some great questions, so this one’s a winner. This conversation is continued on the Ghostbusters II disc, covering the second film.
Ecto-1: Resurrecting The Classic Car (15:37)
You don’t have to be a gearhead to enjoy this look at the restoration of the Ghostbusters’ famous vehicle. A Hollywood machine shop shows how they completely disassembled, repaired, and spruced up the very dilapidated car and not only made it drivable, but absolutely gorgeous. Features a fun appearance of Dan Aykroyd visiting the shop and taking the restored Ecto-1 for a spin.
Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery (5:27)
Before-and-after supplement to the previous feature.
On The Scene With The Ghostbusters (1984 Featurette) (9:45)
EPK-style on-set featurette. This one’s a fun look back.
Cast & Crew Featurette (1999) (10:53)
SFX Team Featurette (1999) (15:22)
Panel-style interview with stories from the trenches. Great stuff but I wish there was more behind-the-scenes, “How did they do that?” type stuff.
Scene Cemetery (Deleted Scenes) (7:52)
Alternate TV Version Takes (1:31)
More fun than I expected. If you know the film’s dialogue well, these censored takes will amuse.
Multi-Angle Explorations (6:13)
Essentially a window into post-production. Switch between the rough cut and final versions of three scenes.
Storyboard Comparisons (6:28)
“Ghostbusters” Music Video by Ray Parker, Jr. (4:19)
The classic music video featuring a parade of celebrity cameos.
Theatrical Trailer (2:15)
A shockingly clean print — they must have remastered this as well.
Special Features — Ghostbusters II
Time Is But A Window: Ghostbusters II and Beyond (16:16)
Continuation of Geoff Boucher’s interview with Ivan Reitman and Dan Aykroyd, discussing the sequel and the impact of the Ghostbusters franchise.
Scene Cemetery (Deleted Scenes) (7:27)
“On Our Own” Music Video by Bobby Brown (4:36)
This has not aged well, but then neither has Bobby Brown.
Original Trailers (6:06)
Gallery featuring three preview trailers: Teaser (1:06), Trailer 1 (2:26), and Trailer 2 (2:32)
Despite some nitpicks and room for improvement, Ghostbusters 1 & 2 is hand-down the best version of either film that we’ve ever had on home video, and this inexpensive 2-pack is simply a no-brainer. Fans of the franchise will find top-notch presentations and new bonus material, and those who aren’t familiar should take a look and discover why the Ghostbusters are such a beloved favorite.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon
Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Collection — [Blu-ray] | [DVD]