I could be wrong, but until a couple weeks ago, I think I had somehow only seen bits and pieces of the original film on cable airings. So as someone who doesn't have a ton of fondness for the original, I thought this was an adequate sequel, about on par or maybe just a tad weaker. The entire ensemble cast clocks on to work, especially Michael Keaton who gets more screen time and doesn't miss a beat, he's just as energetic in the role as he was 36 years ago, and Catherine O'Hara, who is funnier in this than she was in the first. The movie is often quite funny, in large part due to how well the cast is able to sell the humor. Jenna Ortega also does solid work as the more level-headed personality amidst the craziness. The technical aspects are expectedly strong, the film looks great and makes liberal use of practical effects, what CGI is here blends in nicely.

While this is definitely a more entertaining, better made and acted film than Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, it suffers from a similar problem in that it tries to cram in WAY too much material. As wacky as the original is, it had a simple setup, the writers of this one seemingly had a ton of ideas and wanted to squeeze in as much as they could with the possibility of this only being a one-off sequel. This makes much of the film feel unfocused and while it's never boring, the flow is a bit clunky. However, unlike the aforementioned Frozen Empire, I think this does manage to tie the 4 or 5 different plotlines together in a fine manner by the end. I suppose the messy craziness on display is in line with what Tim Burton's films and the brand are known for.

As for the rest of the cast, there's a new character played by Willem Dafoe, and while he delivers as always, it feels like the character was added to the script later on because he wanted a role in the film, he doesn't serve much purpose (and the same applies to a new character played by Monica Bellucci). Winona Ryder does a nice job, but her character feels more one-note than she did before (she's nervous about everything). Justin Theroux elevates a character who's a bit thin on paper with his comedic delivery. While it's a bit odd that the Matlands from the first were only given a passing mention, it's probably for the best that they were left out given how many characters are in this.

In the end, I enjoyed my time with this despite considerable flaws. It's more of an entertaining experience than a genuinely good film, but it's an above average legacy sequel that works as a companion piece to the original. 7 out of 10

As a Tim Burton fan since childhood, I'd like to make a claim at the "WE'RE BACK" Department.

Hell, I'd even say it's better than the first. Oh yeah, I'm going there.

The script is pretty barebones and it does feel rushed (not that suprising coming from the Smallville writers) but holy shit, after years of meh films, does it feel like such a rush when Tim finally gets his creative juices running like mad on a frantic film that can get completely unhinged Returns-style.

God, it feels good to say he's back.

9/10