Ghostbusters II is an inferior retread, stagnating its protagonists in a predictable plot. There's clunky exposition, arbitrary villains, cringe romance, weak setup/payoff, disjointed threads, nonsense logistics, no tension, and lethargic comedy. The characters are superficial and contrived shells of the previous film. Its drama is farcical, the climax is saccharine, and falling action is absent. The acting comes across as mild and disinterested. Some will argue that the original was never emotional or complex, but that was carried by fresh surprises, top-notch wit, motivated characters, and hints of sincerity. Instead, Ghostbusters II feels stale, pointless, and bored with itself.
Technically, Ghostbusters II is muddled, mechanical, and sanitized. Its imagery is flat and basic. The editing offers montages, limp momentum, and aimless pacing. Its sound adds a range of genre elements. The mediocre music uses forgettable covers, needle drops, and tonally questionable scoring. Its production design presents recognizable iconography but nothing of its own. The cast brings back the core stars but most of the new additions are underwhelming. Its effects supply green screens, matte paintings, rotoscoping, pyrotechnics, stop motion, prosthetics, miniatures, and animatronics. Overall, Ghostbusters II's reasonable craft can't overcome its apathetic personality.
Writing: 3/10
Direction: 3/10
Cinematography: 5/10
Acting: 5/10
Editing: 4/10
Sound: 7/10
Score/Soundtrack: 5/10
Production Design: 8/10
Casting: 9/10
Effects: 9/10
Overall Score: 5.8/10
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