Ghostbusters II is the 1989 sequel to Ghostbusters (1984) produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. The sci-fi comedy film is about the further adventures of a group of parapsychologists and their organization which combats paranormal activities (“ghostbusting”). The sequel had what was, at the time, the biggest three-day opening weekend gross in history ($29,472,894, which is equal to $52,709,710 today), a record that was broken precisely one week later by Batman ($40,505,884). Although the film was popular and was generally well received by fans, it received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Five years after the events of the first film, the Ghostbusters are out of business after being sued by the city for property damage. Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore have become entertainers at childrens’ parties, Egon Spengler works in a laboratory conducting various experiments,Peter Venkman hosts a “psychic” television show, and Dana Barrett is working at an art museum restoring paintings and raising her infant son Oscar at a new apartment.
One day, Oscar’s carriage starts rolling down the street by itself. Ray, Egon, and Peter investigate. Meanwhile, Dana’s boss, Dr. Janosz Poha, is restoring a painting of a seventeenth-century tyrant named Vigo the Carpathian, when the real Vigo (who’s spirit is located inside the painting) orders Janosz to find a child so that Vigo may live again. When Ray is lowered underground, he discovers a river of pink slime beneath the streets. After Ray gets a sample, the Ghostbusters are arrested after Ray accidentally knocks most of the city’s power out. During court, two ghosts appear out of the slime and attack the court. However, the Ghostbusters manage to capture them using their old equipment and are back in business. During a test on the slime, the Ghostbusters realize that the slime is a substance that feeds on bad lives, and that all the bad lives are collected underneath the street in slime form. Meanwhile, the slime appears out of Dana’s bathtub and tries to grab her and Oscar. However, she manages to escape. The next morning, the Ghostbusters head over to the museum and investigate the painting. During investigation, Ray notices that the painting is alive. The next night, Ray, Winston, and Egon go through the subway and discover the river of slime. However, Winston and the others are sucked into the river but survive. After they appear back onto the streets, they realize that the slime leads directly to the museum.
Meanwhile, Janosz appears and kidnaps Oscar while Dana heads over to the museum. After Dana enters the museum, the slime appears in a shell form around the museum and the Ghostbusters are called to destroy it. However, the shell contains too much negative energy. But the Ghostbusters know one source of positive energy in the state: the Statue of Liberty. The statue appears over the museum and destroys part of the rooftop with its torch. When the Ghostbusters are in the museum, Vigo appears out of the painting and grabs Oscar. However, the people singing outside weaken the shell around the museum and the Ghostbusters send Vigo back into the painting. However, Vigo hypnotizes Ray, but the Ghostbusters free Ray and destroy Vigo.
