Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 9, 2019

'Ghostbusters' and Blu-ray go back a decade. The film, and its sequel, have seen more than a few releases over the years, each with a new layer of video, audio, and supplemental processes to sort. Needless to say, digging through every past Blu-ray and UHD release of 'Ghostbusters' proves a fairly daunting and labyrinthine process, a process made all the more compiled by this new five-disc SteelBook release. The set includes both films on their own UHD discs and both films on their own Blu-ray discs, the former of which are identical to those Sony released in 2016 (see 'Ghostbusters' and 'Ghostbusters II' UHD links). The Blu-rays are not identical to any previous iteration (see 2009 Ghostbusters, 2013 Ghostbusters, 2014 Ghostbusters, and 2014 Ghostbusters II and the DigiBook that holds the latter two together). While picture appears unchanged, audio selections (beyond the primary DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks) are a bit different from the older releases. Sony has also shuffled around supplements, adding some new ones, and taking one or two away. Below is a breakdown of what to expect, including brief reviews of new content.

For full film reviews, please click through the following links:

• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters II

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For full UHD video reviews, please click through the following links:

• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters II

Note that the Blu-ray included for Ghostbusters is sourced from the 2014 release.

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For full UHD audio reviews, please click through the following links:

• Ghostbusters
• Ghostbusters II

For the Ghostbusters Blu-ray, there are some differences in the offered audio tracks compared to previous versions. This and the 30th Anniversary release are headlined by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but this also includes a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track as well as French, Portuguese and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks and a Thai DD 2.0 track. This is not identical to the selection offered on the 30th BD. Subtitle options include English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified and Traditional, French, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Thai.

Ghostbusters II's Blu-ray likewise has some different language options on tap. These tracks appear in addition to the DT-HD MA 5.1 track: English DTS-HD MA Stereo, French Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Surround, Japanese Dolby Surround, Portuguese Mono, and Spanish Dolby Surround. Subtitle options include English, English SDH, Arabic, Chinese Simplified and Traditional, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish.

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The SteelBook's front cover features a black background surrounded by a red border, reminiscent of old VHS style releases. Centered is a depiction of the famous Ghostbusters logo with the ghost encircled in red with a red slash going through it. The ghost is holding up both hands, one of which is extending one finger, the other two, denoting that both films are included. The rear side follows suit with the red border and depicts a nighttime image of the four Ghostbusters posed and ready for action. Winston and Egon are kneeling atop a pedestal while Venkman and Stantz stand on the ground below them. The spine is a flat black with the words "Ghostbusters 1&2 printed center. A Columbia Pictures logo is situated at the bottom. The front and rear panels are not glossy but the black surface areas will attract and show fingerprints. The SteelBook's interior is a bright red solid color; there is no inner print artwork. The five discs come stacked on each side, one directly atop the other. The three Blu-ray discs are stacked on the left and the two UHD discs are stacked on the right. A Movies Anywhere digital code good for both movies floats inside.

Supplementally, there's a ton to dig through. Most of the old material carries over, but it appears the random here-and-there tidbit, like a certain trailer, might be missing. This set does include new extras on the Blu-ray versions of the film as well as on a new bonus disc that contains a hodgepodge of new and carryover content for both films. New supplements are marked as such and reviewed. Carryover content reviews can be found by clicking through these links: Ghostbusters 2009 Blu-ray, Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Edition, and Ghostbusters II 25th Anniversary Edition.

Ghostbusters:

• NEW! Fan Commentary: Commenters include Ghost Corps' Eric Reich hosts Troy Benjamin and Chris Stewart (Interdimensional Crossrip podcast), Ashley Victoria Robinson (Geek History Lesson podcast) and Sean Bishop (Ghostbusters prop replica expert). The track finds a nice balance between silly and informative, the participants finding irreverent factoids to discuss while covering some of the more macro details that that shape the film. The participants share a good chemistry together and the track perfectly walks the fine line between educational and entertaining quite nicely. It's a refreshing perspective away from the usual actor/filmmaker points of view.
• Audio Commentary: Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis & Joe Medjuck.
• Slimer Mode: Picture-in-Picture: Previously included with the original Blu-ray release and the Blu-ray included with the original UHD release.
• NEW! Tricks & Trivia: This is basically a subtitle track that includes "original production notes provided courtesy of Don Shay." It's a wonderful bit of collected, printed factoids detailing everything from location shooting to special effects, from acting to the film's tone. Its also packed with a number of interesting anecdotes that tie the movie, cast, crew, and legacy together. It's a welcome addition to the Ghostbusters home video library. Note that Sony does not list this as amongst the new extras in the press release but it doesn't appear to have been included on any past BD or UHD release.

Ghostbusters II:

• NEW! Audio Commentary: Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd & Joe Medjuck offer a fairly choppy and occasionally dry, but generally insightful, commentary.

Special Features Disc:

• Ghostbusters:
  
  
  • *NEW! Scene Cemetery: *Not entirely new but several new scenes are added. Here are the ones included, with the new scenes in bold: ECTO-1 Parking Ticket (1080p, 0:26), Pulling Up to Fort Detmerring (0:42), Fort Detmerring Ghost (1:37), Louis Encounters Woman (1080p, 0:33), Louis Encounters Muggers (0:24), Central Park Bums - Raw Takes (1080p, 5:05), Nobel Prize Aspirations (1080i, 0:31), Stake (0:57), Dana (0:40), Honeymooners (1:11), Winston (0:48), Bums (0:42), Busy (1:23), Promotion (0:31), E.P.A. (0:16), Puft Hat (0:26) and "Now Louis!" (0:40). All of the classic deleted scenes are presented in upscaled 1080i windowbox format.
  • NEW! Ghostbusters TV Commercial (1080p, 4x3, 0:27): Sourced from a scene from the film featuring Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler pitching their business. In true 1080p high def but worn and framed to appear as if from the 80s.
  • NEW! Ghostbusters TV Commercial - Outtakes (1080p, 4x3, 5:01): Watch as the actors offer various takes of the commercial.
  • NEW! 1984 ShoWest Exhibitor Reel (1080p, widescreen, 12:11): Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd pitch the movie to potential theatrical exhibitors. Rough-cut clips from the film follow.
  • NEW! A Moment With the Stars – Original EPK Featurette (1080i upscaled, 4x3, 15:11): Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd, in costume and on the set, answer a number of questions which appear on the screen in white letters against a black background. Question number and answer runtime are listed.
  • 1984 Featurette
  • SFX Team Featurette
  • Cast and Crew Featurette
  • Alternate TV Version Takes
  • Who You Gonna Call: A Ghostbusters Retrospective
  • Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car
  • Multi-Angle Explorations: Note that this supplement was titled Multi-Angle Featurettes on the 2009 Blu-ray.
  • Storyboard Comparisons
  • Music Video: "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
  • *NEW! Photo Galleries (1080p): *Some galleries carry over from previous releases; new galleries appear in bold. Included are Gallery 1988 'Ghostbusters' 30th Anniversary Print Collection, Storyboards, Production Photos, Design Concepts, and Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery.
  • *NEW! Theatrical Trailers: *One trailer carries over from previous releases; the new trailers appear in bold. Included are Teaser Trailer (1080p, 1:28), International Teaser Trailer (1080p, 1:04), Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:15), and 30th Anniversary Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:32).
• Ghostbusters II:
  
  
  • NEW! "The Oprah Winfrey Show: Cast of Ghostbusters II" - June 1989 (1080i, 43:17): Annie Potts, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, and Ernie Hudson sit down for a lengthy chat with the talk show queen.
  • Ghostbusters II Original EPK (1080i, 4x3, 41:37): A lengthy feature that explores the film from a number of angles including the original film's popularity, the new story, cast and characters, Reitman's direction, the film's humor, anecdotes, and more.
  • Scene Cemetery
  • Time Is But a Window: Ghostbusters II and Beyond
  • Music Video: "On Our Own" by Bobby Brown.
  • *NEW! Theatrical Trailers: *Two trailers carry over from previous releases; the new trailers appear in bold. Included are Theatrical Teaser Trailer (1080p, 1:07), Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:26), International Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:32), and Unfinished Teaser Trailer (1080p, 1:46).
• The Real Ghostbusters:
  
  
  • "The Real Ghostbusters - Pitch Concept Pilot" - A Fan Restoration by Robert Barbieri (1080p, 4x3, 3:52): An animation highlight reel set to a variation on the famous Ghostbusters theme song.

Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This five-disc SteelBook set is certainly thorough. The UHD discs and the packaging are obviously two of the big draws, but the point of interest for fans and this review may very well be the three Blu-ray discs, all of which are markedly different from previous iterations. The two movie discs feature some new supplemental content while much of it is moved to a dedicated third disc. The BDs also include some different audio and subtitle specs. The new extras are enjoyable, the SteelBook looks and feels great, and the UHD discs are of typical Sony quality. Very highly recommend.