If nothing else the popularity of the film Ghost guaranteed a revival of that great love song Unchained Melody. It's always a pleasure when good music is heard on the airways and we have Ghost to thank for this little treasure making a comeback.

Ghost also provided Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore with a couple of career roles as a typical yuppie couple settling in Tribeca when tragedy strikes one of them. But as it turns out, that's only the beginning of the story.

If you were to describe Ghost I guess the best way you could describe it would be a drama/fantasy with some humorous moments, mostly as a result of the casting of Whoopi Goldberg as a fake psychic. But she comes into the story in the middle of the film. Patrick and Demi, those brat pack alumni are now eager young urban professionals, Demi makes and sells her own pottery and Patrick works in a bank, in the high end area of one, he's not just a teller. When we meet them they are starting to fix up their Tribeca loft with one of Swayze's co-workers, Tony Goldwyn.

But one fateful night after seeing a performance of MacBeth, Swayze is killed as a result of a street mugging. But was it just that, a simple robbery? Not by a longshot and Swayze who was killed before his time is angry enough to stay on Earth and find out what really happened.

Of course he needs an ally and that's where Whoopi comes in. Turns out that there might be a little truth in her advertising as a spiritualist and consultant to the dead. Good enough for Whoopi to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, the other Oscar Ghost won was for original screenplay.

But you won't forget Patrick and Demi as a pair of literal starcrossed lovers. You also know that the universal fates will reunite them because people who care for each other as much as they did aren't destined to stay apart.

I do so love Unchained Melody. Introduced originally by blues singer Al Hibbler in the Fifties it got a revival a decade later by the Righteous Brothers. Tony Bennett also recorded a fine version and after his death a previously unreleased version of it was put out by Bing Crosby's estate. It's a perfect song for the theme for Swayze and Moore.

One of the best love stories of the last decade of the last century, despite the tragedy that takes place, Ghost is one feel good motion picture.

I love Ghost. It is a film that manages to be both romantic and glamorous, sometimes even at the same time. And it also manages to mix the sentimental and the supernatural wonderfully. The production values are great, the special effects are a treat and the costumes, lighting, sets and cinematography are top drawer.

The soundtrack also fits accordingly. Unchained Melody is a touching song and used to great effect here. The script is of good quality, and the story has a great premise with a poignant love-beyond-the-grave theme and a ending that proves that pure schmaltz actually does work. Jerry Zucker's direction is very good.

I love the performances too. Patrick Swayze gives one of his best performances as the murdered banker who tries to warn his girlfriend that she is in danger. Demi Moore isn't as good, in fact she is just okay to start with but gets better through the course of the movie. It is Whoopi Goldberg who steals the show in a performance that is outstanding, her presence doesn't jar at all and livens up what could have been a maudlin atmosphere.

All in all, a great film with a great premise and worth seeing for Swayze and Goldberg. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Jerry Zucker, who previously had directed such comedies as AIRPLANE! and TOP SECRET, turned to drama for the first time in this gentle romance which has much going for it. Although it has literally tons of sentimentality and schmaltzy love scenes, these are all handled rather effectively by the director; even though Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore aren't the world's greatest actors they handle their roles efficiently.

This reviewer may even have shed a tear or two during the endless heartbreaking moments. However, leaving the mush aside for a moment, the special effects in this film are the main reason for watching, done by none other than Industrial Light & Magic, who would later go on to helm big budget modern hits like TERMINATOR 2.

The scenes of Swayze, in ghost form, walking through doors and people are done very effectively, as are the scenes of heaven which are predominant in the final scenes. However the best special effects are the shadows, creatures which come from the darkness to drag those who have committed vile sins in life down to hell. These creatures make really scary noises and are quite unnerving, especially if you're watching at night all alone.

With lots of action sequences (the one where Swayze chases his murderer through a building and then the street, using his newly found powers to strike him repeatedly, being the standout) and another excellent scene involving a subway ghost, who is initially frightening but turns out to be okay after all, GHOST is a pleasing combination of romance, comedy, thriller, fantasy and mystery for the hanky brigade. Deservedly winning a number of Oscars (for the special effects), GHOST is a surprising delight, a mainstream film which isn't so bad after all.