Ghostbusters II contains none of the laughs of the first Ghostbusters. This unworthy sequel is set in New York City prior to News Years Eve, 1989. Although the Ghostbusters risked their lives to save the city from total annihilation five years ago by capturing Gozer the Gozerian and the 20-story tall Stay-Puft marshmallow man, these heroes have been forgotten and not even paid for their work. 

Instead of being lauded for their efforts, the city slapped the Ghostbusters with a court order preventing them from any more hunting, tracking, and capturing  of ghosts because of their extensive destruction of buildings across Manhattan.

The Ghostbusters are forced to find a different avenue of employment. Ray (Dan Aykroyd) has amassed quite a collection of reference books on the paranormal. He makes a modest living selling them. He also has a side job as a party entertainer alongside Winston (Ernie Hudson). Egon (Harold Ramis) is being paid by a corporation to conduct research experiments on human subjects. Peter (Bill Murray) believes he has reached an all-time low as the host of a series where fraudulent guests insist they know when the world will end.

Divorced, Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) is now mother to infant son Oscar. Her hands are full trying to juggle groceries and a baby carriage at the same time. Just as she asks the building superintendent for some help, the carriage takes off into traffic with Oscar inside. Unbeknownst to Dana, pink ooze can be seen on the wheels of the carriage. Later, she becomes frantic when pink sludge comes out of her bathtub faucet and tries to eat Oscar. Who's she gonna call? Her ghostbusting friends, of course. 

When Ray notices pink sludge coming out of a sewer grate on the street at night, he knows he has to find some way for the Ghostbusters to dig a huge hole for him to be lowered into so he can investigate what's happening beneath the street. The only way not to get caught is for the Ghostbusters to don construction uniforms and tell the police officer now questioning them that they are from the telephone or gas company.

Viewers find out, along with the Ghostbusters, that a subway system was constructed by Beach Pneumatic Transit in 1869 and kept under wraps from New Yorkers at the time. The company was never able to get the permit to extend it beyond 312 feet. And this is where Ray discovers a canal of pink slime flowing through what used to be the underground transit tunnel.

After Ray hits a power line and plunges the entire city into darkness, a cop catches the Ghostbusters with their gear and slime samples, and the judge wants them to serve 18 months in jail. As His Honor becomes increasingly irate, the slime reacts to his voice and emotions. It unleashes the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers, criminals he had executed decades ago, who terrorize the courtroom. Suffice it to say, the frightened judge allows the Ghostbusters to resume action.

Ghostbusters II suffers from a dull script (by Aykroyd and Ramis), stiff dialogue, uneven performances, and Ivan Reitman's uninspired direction. I found it hard to stay awake while watching this terrible sequel.

(Released by Columbia/Tristar and rated "PG" by MPAA.)