[7.3/10] *Ghostbusters II* is effectively a recapitulation of the first movie, with the slightest of twists. An evil demigod is threatening New York again, only this time it’s Vigo rather than Zuul. Venkman is pursuing Dana again, only this time she has a baby. An annoying dude is hitting on her until he gets possessed by the bad guy, only this time it’s Janosz instead of Louis. An uptight bureaucrat stands in the Ghosbusters’ way, only this time it’s the mayor’s aide rather than an EPA agent. A giant magical figure lumbers down the streets of New York City, only this time it’s the Statue of Liberty rather than the Staypuft Marshmallow man.

But you know what? I don’t really mind. The first *Ghostbusters* movie does not possess some magical blueprint that all movies should follow. But it offers an enjoyable, sturdy format on which to hang jokes, special effects, and group chemistry. I’m hard-pressed to complain about director Ivan Reitman, and writers/stars Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd for returning to the formula.

This is, after all, a silly, jokey, over-the-top crowd-pleaser of a film. Despite its focus on the balance of positive versus negative emotions, it doesn’t really have anything deep to say. Despite the theoretically city- and globe-threatening peril, the stakes never truly feel that high. And while a few of the first movie’s edges have been sanded down for the sequel, the spirit of general irreverence persists and thrives.

Besides, some of those new spins and angles are just as delightful. For a movie that came out a half-decade after its predecessor, I appreciate the winking, meta detail of the fact that in-universe, the Ghostbusters are forgotten also-rans. Ray and Winston are appearing at kids’ birthday parties. Egon’s back at the university. And Venkman’s hosting a low-rent local access show. The combination of lawsuits and a skeptical public has left them back at the bottom of the barrel. There’s amusement, and a touch of real life commentary to be had, on the group falling off the pedestal, rather than straining to climb up it in the first place.

To the same end, they tone Louis down, making him a more endearing nerd than a constant annoyance. They give Janine more to do, mostly in terms of a romance with Louis, but still! She gets to be slightly more of a character in this one -- with a funky new look to boot. *Ghostbusters II* mostly fumbles around to put the characters back where they were when we left them. But the group’s triumphant return and reunion is a blast, and the changes at the margins are for the better.

Chief among them is the fact that Venkman isn’t just flirting with Dana like the cad that he is, but worms his way back into her heart through how well he does with her infant son. To be frank, the Dana/Peter romance is still as undercooked as it was in the last one, and doesn’t even get a meaningful resolution in this film. But the choice to pair Bill Murray with a baby, showing him plying his usual routine in the cutest of contexts, pays real comic dividends as he not only makes their moments together hilarious, but they also endear you to the character.

Unfortunately, Dana gets the short shrift in this one. While the last movie let Sigourney Weaver get in on the fun when possessed by Zuul, this one reduces her to the placid love interest she was for the first half of the original film (though does find time to put her in just her bra or a towel for no real reason). Despite the fact that the bad guy wants to steal her child and his henchman wants to marry her, she’s basically an accessory in the sequel, and it does a disservice to Weaver’s talents.

Likewise, whatever *Ghostbusters* gains by toning down Louis and making him more of an endearing character himself, it loses by assaulting the audience with Janosz, Dana’s desirous boss. He’s a broadly-drawn clump of stereotypical eurotrash, and his generic continental frou frou-ness is vastly more irritating than it is amusing. Despite Vigo’s status as the big bad, Janosz gets much more screen time as the secondary antagonist, and his scenes are an utter chore to get through.

Thank heaven for the production design and special effects though. If there’s one place where *Ghostbusters II* improved on a strength of its predecessor, it's in the visuals. The ghosts here are even more creative and vivid than in the last outing. The convicts harassing the judge who sentenced them to death, a translucent monster poking its head through the Washington Square Arch, and a ghostly *Titanic* finally completing its journey are all a spooky treat. The film gets tremendously creative even apart from the specific ghosts, with an invisible spook driving Dana’s carriage, Vigo sticking his head beyond the painting that contains him, and of course, an impressive river of pink ooze that runs beneath the city and eventually envelops the location of the film’s final big set piece.

That comes when Vigo turns the local art museum into a villainous jello mold. So our heroes naturally...animate the Statue of Liberty and enlist to raise the spirits of the grumpy New York citizenry and help smash their way into the eye of the storm. It’s a completely bonkers conclusion, but one that won me over with its setup, enervating spirit, and the sheer ridiculous audacity of it. Say what you will about *Ghostbusters II*’s lack of ambition, but god help me, it’s splashy and fun.

You can see it in the film’s comedy. The gags are slightly more family friendly this time around, which was probably a concession to the original being a four quadrant hit rather than a niche success. More to the point, the humor here is much more rooted in the ensemble than in Bill Murray as a one-liner machine. More of the gags and the sheer joy of this one comes from the Ghostbusters, Dana, Louis, Janine, and almost everyone they run into playing off one another, with a balance you didn’t really find in the group’s first outing.

Sure, *Ghostbusters II* is, at best, a minor remix of the film that spawned it, but it’s also a good time. You like hanging out with Venkman, Ray, Egon, and Winston. You like watching the latest impressive special effect wow you or gross you out or both. You like watching the good guys triumph over villainy in one of the most out there, but strangely rousing ways possible. In short, you like this movie. Or at least, I like this movie, even if it’s just giving me a little more of something I already liked.