Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Yes, it’s been 30 years since the original Ghostbusters, the first movie to strike upon that irresistible balance of big laughs and big scares. The story is built around the ridiculously fun idea of professional trackers/capturers of wayward spirits, brought to life by the undeniable comedic talents of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis. The Oscar-nominated special effects also helped Ghostbusters become the biggest box-office hit in a year full of blockbusters. Although young Mr. Murray’s effusive wiseassery dates the movie somewhat (much like the remarkable amount of smoking on display), watching it anew reminds us of his consummate ability to find often subtle ways to make every moment his own—and so many of his lines worth quoting.

As Sony has done with a number of its catalog titles, this one was remastered at 4K resolution for Blu-ray and released in 2013, downconverted for 1080p high definition. While I don’t have that disc, I’m guessing the same master is used here. Almost immediately, I was stuck by the apparent refresh of the colors versus the old 2009 Blu-ray, beginning with the assorted book spines in the opening New York Public Library scenes and proceeding to reveal a pleasing new palette across the entire film. Blacks are still largely flat and lifeless. Well-lit shots, however, can be more lifelike and detailed, but some of those old-school special effects don’t hold up all that well in the unforgiving light of today’s home theaters. Twitchy, mildly pesky noise and inconsistent, occasionally distracting grain appears, but in general, the quality of the 2.4:1 image is an improvement over that first HD disc from 2009.

In an interesting switch, the soundtrack here is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, whereas the two previous Blu-rays were Dolby TrueHD. This high-res remix offers effective but not excessive low-end usage to punctuate the frights, with an enjoyable low-end kick as well as surround extension for the neutrona wands, the powerful weapon of choice for well-equipped Ghostbusters.

There’s a long list of bonus material to sort through, some ported from past editions, including a terrific commentary track, deleted scenes, and a picture-in-picture viewing mode. New for this release is the first part of a retrospective conversation with Aykroyd and director Ivan Reitman plus TV-friendly alternate takes of key lines and the long-sought-after music video for the ever-catchy theme song. Be warned: It’s even cheesier than you remember.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Sony Pictures, 1984
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Length: 105 mins.
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis