On July 21st, Paramount Pictures is releasing GHOST on Blu-ray for the very first time. This 1990 classic stars Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn. We received a review copy, which I was happy to revisit since I haven’t seen the film until shortly after its initial release in 1990.
Directed by Jerry Zucker, GHOST revolves around Sam (Swayze) and Molly (Moore), a happy couple very much in love and moving into a new place. Sam works with his friend Carl (Goldwyn) at a financial firm, handling some big money. At one point Sam notices a substantial amount of extra funds in his company’s account, which worries him as some new major clients are watching. One night, Sam and Molly go to the theater, and on their way out they encounter a mugger, who shoots Sam. As he dies in Molly’s arms, Sam’s spirit realizes he’s still on earth, even watching himself pass away. With Molly in grief, he watches over her, but soon discovers his death was no accident… it was actually an orchestrated murder. Now, with nefarious forces turning their attention to Molly, Sam must find a way to warn her and stop things from getting worse. He finds an unlikely friend in Ona Mae (Goldberg), a spiritual advisor who is able to hear Sam speak.
GHOST was a major hit in 1990, even winning two Academy Awards, and solidifying itself as one of the most beloved romantic thrillers of all time. It was also one of the first Hollywood productions to make use of digital visual effects, which hold up surprisingly well in certain scenes, even if they look a tad dated in others. Jerry Zucker was an inspired choice for the project, considering his background in slapstick comedies like AIRPLANE and THE NAKED GUN. And there are some comedic elements in GHOST, which Zucker implements well considering the otherwise somber narrative of the film. Outside of the new 4K transfer on this Blu-ray release, which is quite crisp and clean, one of the new features is “Filmmaker Focus: Director Jerry Zuacker on GHOST”, which features a brief but candid conversation with Zucker on the making of the film and some of the more significant aspects of the production. Most of the previous releases special features are also included here, like the audio commentary track with Jerry Zucker and writer Bruce Joel Rubin (so glad they included this as not all of these new Paramount blu-rays are including commentary tracks from previous releases), and there’s also archival featurettes about different parts of the film, including classic interviews with the cast and crew. Oddly missing are two featurettes from the previous Blu-ray, “Inside the Paranormal” and “Cinema’s Great Romances” aren’t here. Again, the 4K transfer is stunning, almost looking like the film was shot yesterday, though there are a few scenes where the film grain is really pronounced and almost distracting – sometimes that’s unavoidable on older releases.
If you enjoy romantic films or just 1990s fare in general, especially Patrick Swayze movies, GHOST is definitely a must-own title, and Goldberg’s performance is absolutely one of her career best. The slipcase cover even features a fold-out movie poster, which is cool. See all the necessary specs on the film below.
Special Features:
NEW Filmmaker Focus: Director Jerry Zucker on Ghost
Commentary by Jerry Zucker and Writer Bruce Joel Rubin
Alchemy of a Love Scene
Theatrical Trailer
Ghost Stories: The Making of a Classic
Video
Widescreen 1.85:1 Color
Audio
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles
English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Celebrating 30 years, GHOST is still one of the most memorable romantic films ever made. Winner of two Academy Awards, Patrick Swayze is Sam, recently departed from the living world, but left behind in spirit form. While desperate to reconnect with the love of his life, Molly (Demi Moore), he discovers his death wasn’t just a random robbery gone bad. To solve his own murder, he enlists the talents of a skeptical psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), who doesn’t even believe her own abilities. Featuring a memorable Maurice Jarre score and a heartbreaking, yet often funny script by Bruce Joel Rubin, GHOST is a truly unique genre-defying film that will cross over into your heart and never leave. This limited edition Blu-ray has been remastered from a 4K film transfer, supervised by director Jerry Zucker.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
