Slower, But in Many Ways Better than the Original

I liked this film. It has a slower pace than the first, and it definitely could have used a bit more tightening script-wise, with fewer romantic scenes and a bit more action, and maybe get the Ghostbusters up and "busting" sooner rather than waiting until the end of the first act, but as far as writing and technical filmmaking skill goes, it's better and less stupid than the first, more clever and deeper, with better dialogue and richer performances.

The ending felt a bit rushed, and is a bit of a letdown to what was essentially a whole lot of buildup, which I think is what most people respond to when they say it's not as good as the first. The first had a heck of an ending; this one was visually interesting, but the final battle wasn't really very satisfying, nor did you ever get much of a sense of who the villain is exactly. But it's very good for what it is, and given the year it came out, the late 80s, the special effects are outstanding.

I think it if were about 20 minutes shorter and had a better ending, and Bill Murray wasn't such a pain in the ass, we probably would have had a third film in the 90s.