Ghostbusters Special Edition Review by Troy Benjamin (NetSolo@aol.com)

There comes a time in every man's life when you have this feeling of completeness. Of utter and true bliss. Such was true when I sat down to take an in depth look at the new Ghostbusters Special Edition DVD. I'll be honest, my girlfriend Sara is perfect in every shape or form, but she hasn't seen Ghostbusters all the way through. Now, I'm able to show her the film, the way that it was meant to be seen.

First, let me give you a brief run down on the equipment which was used to review this disc. The DVD player a Sony DVPS7000, the receiver a Sony STRDE90ES, the video unit a Runco 810 series projected onto a Stewart Filmscreen. Speakers- NHT SupraOne's all around. And let me tell you, the ultimate Ghostbusters experience at that.

Many of the reviews will talk about the awesome goodies included on this disc (and they are a-plenty, the commentary was incredibly fun to watch, deleted scenes were embraced with open arms, and the multi-angle storyboard/no-FX compairisons are enough to shake a stick at. . . but finally, we get the Making of Ghostbusters segments and a photo gallery larger than that included with the Criteron collection, this disc easily rivals the content of any two, three, or four disc special edition and blows that of the Armageddon Special Edition out of the water). But I would like to focus on the quality of the DVD itself technically.

The picture is astonishing. Not since the remastered prints of the Star Wars Special Edition have I seen a 1980's film restored to such beauty. True blacks are true blacks, matte lines are non-visable, and Bill Murray's skin is still notciably flawed (and we love him for it don't we folks?) If viewed on a high quality monitor, this transfer will destroy all other remasters. Scan lines and pixilization were never noticeable on the Sony DVP7000 (although I could have sworn I saw some in the smoke on my DVPS300 in my room during the second viewing) this is a clean, sharp, and brilliant picture. Owners of the Criteron Collection Laserdisc should do a side by side compairison. I'm still kicking my own ass for paying so much for that laserdisc, the DVD really shows it up.

But sound, let me tell you, even if you don't have a top of the line DD5.1 system, the Pro Logic mix is equally intriguing. But if you want the full effect, make sure that you're on Discrete baby, because the neighbors will be calling the police once the Goz starts putting the moves on your house. The proton packs energizing will shake and rumble your house, the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man will gladly do a little jig around your house, and the Slimer effects flying by you are incredibly deep and rich.For once, a good mix during the busting montage, where Ray Parker Jr.'s song is full of power, strong and emposing, and incredibly loud and defined. It truely is clear that Columbia Tri-Star painstakingly remastered the original soundtrack many times through making each and every effect worth the while. I'd be surprised if they didn't even go back to the foley rooms and re-record some of the sounds, it was like seeing a totally different version of Ghostbusters. The one thing that was difficult to adjust for was the dialogue which for some reason predominantly was loud during action scenes and quiet during speaking roles. One thing is for sure, make sure that volume is on high when the containment grid blows. You'll thank me for it later.

All in all, this is the best DVD that I have seen, period. Yes, I'm incredibly biast, but it is with the best and greatest pride that I say that Columbia Tri-Star continues the tradition that it started with the Godzilla DVD with Ghostbusters, raising the bar for other studios to try to catch up to, and definitely giving consumers their money's worth (and though many will be turned off by the $24.95 MAP price, shop around, especially at the Ghostbusters HQ Online Store. Many better deals can be found.)

Run, don't walk, get this DVD now, if you don't own a DVD player buy one now, if you were stupid enough to buy a DIVX player, use your hundred dollar rebate to buy these two discs, and I think that you owe me the rest of the rebate (hey, you were gullible enough to buy DIVX, why not send me 70+ dollars too?)

-Troy Benjamin