After a botched robbery attempt, a banker (Patrick Swayze) gets killed but instead of ending up at the pearly gates, finds himself trapped on earth as a wandering ghost. In his current state, he discovers that a con artist spiritual guru (Whoopi Goldberg) can actually hear him talk, despite not being able to see him. With her help, he’ll struggle to give a final goodbye to his girlfriend (Demi Moore) and uncover the mystery behind his death.

I have this “scientific” theory that all women, regardless of personality or age, absolutely love two specific movies. The first is DIRTY DANCING and the second is this one and to this day, I’ve yet to meet someone of the female persuasion who isn’t head over heels in love with both Patrick Swayze flicks. When this little gem first premiered at the box office in 1990, it produced monster numbers and was the runaway hit of the summer. With an entirely original premise, great performances and one hell of a touching love story, Ghost manages to provide a romantic flick which both sexes can enjoy. Women will definitely swoon over the combination of Swayze’s rock hard body and heartbreaking tale of separation and longing. Don’t worry fellas, the movie also manages to provide just enough action and thrill sequences to keep you from falling asleep.

What truly makes this movie a great film, however, is how it manages to successfully blend in a really well written and suspenseful murder mystery too. Just when you think tragedy and sorrow have finally taken their toll, it becomes an ingenious revenge story which works well alongside the romance element. It’s important to note that Ghost earns a score of 9 on my official Kleenex scale. Devoted readers, allow me to be the first to warn you that if you haven’t already seen this wonderful movie, be prepared to turn on the waterworks. Every time I happen to watch the closing "Unchained Melody" scene, it gets me EVERY single time. And in case you’re wondering guys, forget all that machismo crap, it’s okay for “real” men to cry! With a great script and emotional performances across the board, Ghost qualifies as must see material.

Video: While not as crystal clear as most recent movies on DVD, it certainly is way better than any previous transfer I’ve seen on (gasp!) VHS. Given that the print is almost 11 years old, the image comes across as very clean for its age, with good color levels and sharp definition. Presented in widescreen anamorphic format (1.85:1), fans of the movie will definitely be pleased with the image quality of the DVD.

Audio: Perhaps the greatest extra on the DVD is the introduction of a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, complemented by the standard 2.0 English and French options as well. The surround channels really work nicely in adding to many of the scenes, providing some cool rear sound effects. The front speakers bear most of the load, doing a fantastic job of projecting the movie’s great score. Perhaps the best added option on the disc is the addition of a new commentary track from director Jerry Zucker and writer Bruce Joel Rubin. The two are very funny guys and seem to bask in the chance to finally talk about this movie. In the track, we get great stories of how the movie’s story was drafted and written, how Whoopi Goldberg managed to land her co-starring role and how many of the special effects shots were done without relying on computer generated images. The track tends to drag at certain points but as a whole is easily worth listening to.

In keeping with the whole ghost theme, there sadly isn’t much substance wise on the DVD. The main featurette, “Remembering the Magic”, is a 22-minute retrospective on the film’s huge success and lasting impression on moviegoers. In it, we find out that William Shakespeare’s Hamlet served as the inspiration for the movie’s supernatural theme which came as kind of a surprise for me. We also learn that the writer of Ghost almost had a heart attack when he found out that Jerry Zucker of Airplane! was set to direct the movie. Thankfully, the movie didn’t turn out to be another campy schlock fest. We’re also treated to really old clips of Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, talking about their involvement with the film.

Interestingly enough, Tina Turner was almost selected for Whoopi’s role, which would have definitely been kind of “interesting”. It was also cool to see that Patrick Swayze had the time to sit down and talk about the phenomenon of Ghost and how he had to fight to land the role in a recently filmed interview. Hey, it’s not like he anything better to do given that he’s practically fallen off the radar in Hollywood! In his clips, he reveals that women still come up to him all the time and ask him to say “ditto” to them. Funny stuff. The movie’s original theatrical trailer finishes up the added features. In spite of the fact that the extras are few and far between, the DVD has some great menus with full animation and sound.

While I would have liked to have seen much more supplemental material on the disc, I guess we can’t have everything. With that having been said, the fact that they managed to include a new commentary track and good transfer should be enough to tide over most people. In our first DVD review during Chick Flick Week, Ghost is a no brainer purchase for devoted fans and a great rental for moviegoers unfamiliar with this fantastic movie.