Review of Ghostbusters

Introduction

Who ya gonna call ?

I remember going to see this film at the cinema (the now defunct State Cinema, Grays, Essex) when I was 10. It was great fun back then.

But now at 26 it was even better ! Lots of jokes which might have sailed overhead 16 years ago are now much appreciated. This is a good film, even after 16 years, and is not just for kids. I won`t bother going into the plot as most people probably know all of that by now.

Video

The picture quality is great, but I`m sure I spotted one or two little artefacts lying around. That said, this has had a really good cleanup and transfer (2.35:1 Anamorphic), for comparison, spot the difference in quality on some of the extras. I would argue this is probably one of the best transfers around given the source material.

Some of the special effects do look a bit dated, but a few have aged reasonably well. And considering the budget they probably had back then, I would say that is quite a feat.

Audio

The Dolby 5.1 remix of the sound is also great - without a doubt this sounded better in my lounge than it did in the cinema 15 years ago. Dialogue is well reproduced as are effects. Watch out for those proton packs charging up - plenty of LFE there.

The rears also get some work to do, with ghosts flying around the room. Perhaps they could have done more, but this is still the best this film has ever sounded.
The musical score is also brought back to life (compare it to a VHS copy).

Features

And now the extras. There`s so much bonus stuff on this DVD. The best has to be the film-makers commentary - listening to the 3 guys talking about the making of the film as they watch it. They`ve got some interesting stories to tell, and even a couple of DVD-related "gags". This is an excellent extra. A slightly odd thing is that you have to watch it in 4:3 mode on 16:9 TVs. Perhaps something to do with its Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (MST3K) style presentation.

There`s also "before and after" special effects sequences - so you can see the guys firing their weapons with nothing coming out, switch angles on the DVD (a "mainstream" DVD making use of the multiple angle feature!) and see the effects. Also, you can see the vast difference in quality between the 2 clips !

Add to that storyboards, loads and loads of stills, ten deleted scenes, a trailer and a Ghostbusters 2 trailer, and some other short documentary footage and you have a winner.

The animated menus are also a good example of what can be achieved with a little effort - top notch stuff !

Conclusion

Who ya gonna call ?

Your nearest DVD retailer, to get your copy now ! This really is a great DVD.

If you have a copy of this film, replace it with the DVD version immediately. If not, why not hire or borrow the DVD to see what you`re missing ? You might just be pleasantly surprised!

Highly recommended for your collection. It`s an old film but all those extras really make it a DVD that is worth having!