Return of the Ghostbusters

That would be an understatement.

Never before, in the history of fan-film-making, has there been such dedication and passion put into a film that would yield NO financial benefits whatsoever. This was a film (video, movie, whatever) put together BY fans, FOR fans, period. If you liked Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, you'd be hard pressed not to believe that this was Ghostbusters III.

The cast, those returning from 'Freddy Vs. Ghostbusters' and the newcomers, really pull this piece together. I especially thought that Wiess gave an amazing performance.

How many fan-films can boast original music? Well, Jon Vandergriff, along with a few other contributors, make this one a first! The score to this film, from the opening credits, to the ending ones, is nothing short of fantastic.

Now let's talk about the special FX. Wow. When you watch this film, you understand that it is a film made with limited money, resources, and materials, but that's the LAST thing you think when you see the FX. The crew behind the visual fx in 'Return' did their jobs, and they did it well.

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that this is an amazing film, as both a fanfilm and a standalone film. It is better than its predecessor in every way (don't get me wrong, I love FvGB).

SEE IT.

As a die hard fan of the ghostbusters I was blown away when I saw Freddy VS Ghostbusters. I told my friends and family about it and showed the film to everybody who would watch. When I heard a follow up film was being produced my expectations were pretty high. I was absolutely floored when I watched the Return of the Ghostbusters. This film is Hank Braxton's Rocky Balboa to the film industry's Apollo Creed begging for just one chance, one opportunity to shine. While lacking the fanfare and budgets of a major movie production, what this movie does bring to the table is tons of heart and an obvious love for both the craft of film making as well as a love for the source material. Return of the Ghostbusters improves upon Braxton Films' earlier Ghostbuster fan film in every category: Cinematography, Acting, Scenery, Pacing, Casting, Effects, Audio, Script -- the list goes on. If you have ever even been so much as a casual fan of Ghostbusters, consider yourself a connoisseur of pop culture or are simply a fan of independent artists you owe it to yourself to watch this film. Rarely will a major motion picture capture the heart, dedication and love for the craft that this picture has produced in spades.

Having watched the film dozens of times (for studying purposes), it becomes clear that one should not expect a $144M budget type of movie. Instead, for $3,000, all the heart and fun that stretched dollars can afford are put on screen.

The film sure has its cheesy moments and it has to be expected instead of hoping for a miracle. And in some ways, this fan film is sort of a miracle in itself. You have quirky characters, a clichéd villain, the reporter (who reminded me a lot of TMNT's April O'Neil for some reason) and a few great action scenes for the tight budget they had.

The camera work is interesting and is much more determined to shoot a cool looking scene than most fan films I've seen lying around. Not that they're any bad, but it's nice to dissect them and try and see where there are a few problems, where scenes could be trimmed, etc.

This film could have used a bit of trimming or a few extra takes instead of keeping a scene where the same word can be heard two or three times. Not to be picky, it just creates a redundancy that slowly can cripple the narrative when repeated too many times. Although I'm sure these were most unintentional and they do not hinder my fun of watching it.

Knowing that this is a low budget production, I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of accuracy, the fun, the efforts to try and tell an original story, to have a few references to the original Ghostbusters while also covering its own grounds. The film does mention some of the original characters, but that's where the movie gets some of its best fun: talking about other fictional characters, thus making them seem more real, as well as the Ghostbusters name and the overall story at the same time.

It's not a Stanley Kubrick film, and it's not a Rolland Emmerich film either. It's a Hank Braxtan film. The man wrote and directed it and before that, he did the same with "Freddy VS. Ghostbusters", another fun short film featuring some of the characters seen in "Return".

For doing all this by himself, and for the fun results I still enjoy to this day, I'd say he's more than earned my eternal respect.

I have been in the special effects business for over twenty years working as an entertainment designer within the movie industry. Yes, I am a huge fan of the whole Ghostbusters franchise and I'm known within this community as Paranorman, the dude that builds proton packs and related props for Ghostbusters collectors and ghostheads throughout the world. When Hank Braxtan asked me to create the new design and to fabricate the production's Neutrino Pack for 'Return of the Ghostbusters' I said to him "well, I'll need time to think about it...HECK YEAH!"

First I was greeted with wonderful visual effects with the title sequence and shortly after, I was immediately drawn into the plot. 'Return of the Ghostbusters' computer-generated imagery were well executed and were not overpowering and the old school physical effects were well placed as well. This is one of my favorite fan films!

WOW...VERY IPRESSIVE.

for $3000, you made a very impressive movie...

How you did it, I don't know...but that is talent.

Yes there were some flaws, not in storyline but in overall production, but on something of this caliber, that is easily overlooked.

For most part, actors had no prior film experience...and while it showed abit, is still better than any movies I've seen made in the multi-millions.

Your true talent shines...and I look forward to seeing other films by you.

I realize that this is not on DVD, but only online due to legal matters, but having a feature film on DVD should be seriously considered.

I tend to spend that amount of money in one weekend without hesitation...but you know how to really work with it.

I should be investing in your company, as you guys really have the skills that so many Hollywood writers, actors, producers, directors and crew lack.

The only parts in this movie that really didn't fit - was the bar fight scene and the odd cursing - that was really out of place along with the MILF comment.

Aside all, your special FX, costumes, score, camera work and editing were pretty damn good.

As from your resumes, most of your work comes from self produced films, it's time to breakout into a higher budget and have your work shown across the public.

I don't know how many movies I've watched where I was so unimpressed - they had major "stars", big money and all the tools available - backed up by a major production company and they still came out with something that I would not rate above a 3.

You guys have what it takes and lets hope that you never lose it.

I can only imagine what you all could do with a 20 million plus budget...

Good luck, great job and keep them rolling.

I gave this a 9 because of all the effort combined with the ability to work with such a small budget and complete something worth viewing. While this is not at the top of my favorites, it does show plenty of promise and a well done job.

The song at the closing credits fit totally.