Search - Ghostbusters Double Feature Gift Set (Ghostbusters/ Ghostbusters 2 and Commemorative Book) on DVD

Worth the double-dip for devoted fans only

Cubist | United States | 08/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most of the extras from the original special edition are included in this new version with some missing in action. Gone is the video portion of the audio commentary which did add a Mystery Science Theater 3000 quality but is not a huge omission. However, also gone are the trailers and the subtitled production notes that one could see while watching the movie. For these alone you might want to hold onto your previous edition.



The picture quality of both movies has been improved significantly, although, maybe it's because I am so used to the old transfers that, at times, this new one looks too good. And then, some scenes look just as grainy as the previous edition but this may be due to the film stock at the time.



The Ghostbusters 2 DVD originally had no extras and it still doesn't have any that pertain to the movie but two new additions are an episode from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, entitled "Citizen Ghost" and "Partners in Slime" from the much inferior Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Hopefully, this means that Sony is finally going to release these shows on DVD at long last.



Finally, there is a nice, glossy movie scrapbook that features more storyboards, stills and poster designs from the movies."

About the widescreen issue...

Richard Worley | Riverside, CA | 08/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Just a bit of information I know I would have like to have had before I bought it: There are some reviews on this page complaining that the first film is presented only in fullscreen.. The slip-cover for the set does, in fact, list the first film as being in fullscreen, and the second as being in 2.40:1 widescreen.. which confused me and I bought it anyway figuring that there was no reason they would do one film properly but not the other. Then I noticed that on the slip-cover under special features they list the FIRST film as being in widescreen, but NOT the second... It gets stranger. When you open it and look at the individual cases, the first film is labeled as being in 2.40:1 widescreen, and the second is listed as being in 2.35:1 (NOT 2.40)...



Well, dyslexic cover-art designers aside, when you watch the films they ARE BOTH IN WIDESCREEN.. whether one is 2.40 and one is 2.35 I didn't really bother to figure out, and frankly I doubt given the attention to detail displayed on the boxes. Either way, the films do look really good.



The special features are, like most people said, nothing to scream about and mainly re-packaged from the earlier releases with the notable exception of episodes from the cartoon, which are pretty awful. The scrapbook is nice, despite having an odd odor like burnt french fries...



As for the films themselves, I haven't really watched them since I was about 12, and so it was pure nostalgia. They were actually better than I expected. The first one is plainly the "better" movie, and the second one basically shamelessly recreates its plot blow by blow (Instead of stay puft, we have the statue of liberty, instead of an evil apartment building, we have an evil museum, instead of arguments with a surprisingly accommodating mayor and his meddlesome underlings, we have... arguments with a surprisingly accommodating mayor and his meddlesome underlings.) However, in some strange way, the second film feels fresher to me, and the real joy of the movies was watching these great actors do their thing, and they're all just as good the second time around. Even if Winston still has nothing to do besides show up once in a while to deflect criticism about an all-white cast.



So, anyway, hoped that cleared up some stuff."