If you’re old enough to have any memories of the year 1990, chances are I don’t have to tell you anything about Ghost. I’m pretty sure you remember it.

Right after they decide they should get married, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze, Road House) is mugged and killed in front of his girlfriend Molly Jensen (Demi Moore, One Crazy Summer). Molly is understandably emotionally distraught over this but what she doesn’t know is that it isn’t quite over for Sam yet. He’s still hovering around – as a ghost. Invisible to the living, Sam spends most of his time just staying wherever Molly is, all the while coming to terms with his new ghostly existence.

When the man who killed him attempts to rob Molly’s apartment, Sam begins to realize that his untimely death may not have been unplanned. In order to protect Molly, Sam needs to find a way to communicate. Luckily he finds this in Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple) a woman who hustles the streets as a psychic spirit reader. Reluctant at first, she eventually agrees to be Sam’s voice (and at times body) to cross over to 'our' side.

Looking back, Ghost was the summer blockbuster that no one expected. Even now, nearly twenty years later, it is puzzling that such a film with a plot that practically screamed direct-to-video generated so much interest. Nevertheless, it did, and in the process it earned two Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actress and Best Writing), three additional nominations and grossed $200 million domestically. Forever more, the Righteous Brothers’ song “Unchained Melody” will be known as “The Theme to ‘Ghost’” even though it was recorded decades earlier. It’s fair to say that Ghost definitely made a dent in pop culture, and has a decent sized fan base to this day.

Part of that comes from the fact that Ghost is a very well made film. All of the actors involved, (yes, even Patrick Swayze) put in solid performances. None of these actors were known for their phenomenal track record either (and still aren’t) so that was unexpected. The b-movie plot is elevated from its horror/mystery roots by having a completely believable romance and comedic elements that are mostly funny, but never cross the line and hijack the story. Ghost was directed by Jerry Zucker, one-third of the team that brought us comedy classics like Airplane! and Top Secret!. This was his first time directing independently and is enough to make me wonder why he’s been so elusive in the director’s chair since.

Some mention should also be made of Vincent Schiavelli’s turn as an unnamed ghost that Sam encounters in the subway. The character teaches Sam how to move objects after he’s dead and is made completely compelling with an unexplained backstory that I would have loved to see explored in more detail. In my opinion, it’s the performance of the film. I would have paid to see a movie JUST about Vincent Schiavelli’s character.

One of the most welcome surprises is the film's score by Maurice Jarre. It’s incredibly moving, and not just emotionally. In many cases where there is no dialog, the score takes over as almost a character, truly driving one scene to the next, and in some cases one cut to the next. The music is beautiful. In fact, this was the first actual score CD that I ever purchased.

Rewatching this for the first time in at least several years, I can honestly say that it’s better than I remembered it being. Yes, it’s melodramatic. Yes, if you don't buy into spiritualism you're probably going to be rolling your eyes. But on a technical level, (even accounting for the dated special effects) it’s still a well assembled film where a lot of things went right when everything could have gone wrong. Ghost isn’t ever going to be a favorite of mine – but it’s still a pretty damn good film.

The DVD Presentation
This is the second DVD release of Ghost, and from what I can tell it uses the same transfer and same audio mixes, as the prior release. The video quality is really good and anamorphically enhanced, but the film looks its age. The 5.1 audio mix is strong, with louder scenes, like the subway sequences, and the finale filling the surrounds with excitement. What’s disappointing is that I would have hoped for this new edition they would have created a new transfer, or beefed up the mixes, perhaps a DTS track. Regrettably though – nothing new. There is also a stereo mix for English and French, and subtitles are available in English for those that require them.

And the Extras Are?
Audio Commentary by director Jerry Zucker and writer Bruce Joel Rubin –
Surprisingly, this is a really entertaining commentary track. There is good balance here since the joker Jerry Zucker has great banter with the considerably dryer Rubin. A lot is revealed about what attracted them to the project. A good track; fans will dig it – but fans also already heard it on the original Ghost DVD release.

Ghost Stories: The Making of a Classic – (13:05)
As far as “making ofs” go, this is a fairly decent one. The main cast all supply input in both new and old interviews and cover almost all aspects of the film, including pre and post-production. I do feel that the feature could have been longer and more in depth. For example, not a thing is mentioned about the awesome Academy Award nominated score. That’s a bit of an oversight.

Inside the Paranormal – (8:34)
A bunch of psychics and mediums discuss Ghost and how they feel it is the most “accurate” film about the afterlife made. If you believe in this stuff, it might be of some interest to you. If you do not, then you aren’t going to be changed. Honestly, I’m not really sure what the point of this feature is except that these particular people feel that Ghost is a truly definitive representation of life after death.

Alchemy of a Love Scene – (6:16)
This was fascinating. The cast and crew discuss the “pottery love scene” and how it worked, how none of it was as originally envisioned, and how the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” was applied to it. For only just over six minutes, I learned a lot from this about one of the most iconic scenes in modern cinema.

Cinema’s Greatest Romances – (19:44)
This is the segments from the American Film Institute’s “100 Years… 100 Passions” that dealt with the Paramount films on the list. This was an interesting watch. It has interviews and discussion about Roman Holiday, Love Story (1970), A Place In The Sun (1951), Barefoot In The Park (1967), Sabrina (1954), Reds, Grease, An Officer And A Gentleman (1982), To Catch A Thief (1955), Harold And Maude, Witness (1985), Titanic (1997), Breakfast At Tiffany’s and of course Ghost. All of these films are certainly iconic in their own way, and some of them are downright brilliant. However, the discussions spoil much so if you haven’t seen a title, you probably would want to hold off.

Theatrical Trailer – (2:32)
Everyone has their own opinion about the film, but I think everyone agrees that the trailer fucking rocked. It touched completely on the romance, sadness and murder mystery aspects of the film, and made it seem quite a bit more intense than it actually is. Great trailer.

Photo Gallery –
An fairly large photo gallery, (I count 63) that has nice stills from the film, but little in the way of behind-the-scenes stuff.

Previews –
Finally, trailers are included for the DVD releases of Titanic (1997) – Special Collector’s Edition, The Last Kiss, and Dreamgirls.

The Bottom Line
Ghost is a uniquely enjoyable if sappy film but I'd have a hard time recommending this release to any but the biggest Ghost completists. The new extras aren’t phenomenal and the two most important ones - the commentary and the trailer - are the same ones that were on the previous release. To add insult to injury, “Remembering the Magic – Retrospective,” a 22 minute, and fairly strong featurette from the original release is not included here and of course, you don’t get the insert card. All of the audio options are inherited from the previous release, and the transfer looks to be the same as well. All you’re getting with this upgrade is some fluff and cover art that makes the film look like a wicked-sexy porno.

Really, look inside yourself and decide if you need the Special Collector’s Edition of Ghost. It’s entirely worth it if you don’t already own the old release. But if you do I would spend the $15 on the score CD instead.