Haunted Mansion

Pacing is all off here, this film could have done with at least 20-30 minutes trimmed off. It sagged in the middle, can't really fault the actors here, they all did their bit. They were just dealing with a baggy script.. The effects were fine, the set was appropriately eerie and atmospheric. I would have liked to seen a bit more menace with the ghosts, gave them a bit more edge which would have avoided all the characters seen as safe and untouchable but still have the light hearted approach, along the lines of the Frighteners (directed by Peter Jackson). I know it's a 12a but the kids would have coped with it for sure.

This is a frustrating one for me. I saw so many good ideas on display and committed performances from a game cast, but it all just felt kind of...wasted in the end.

And it's because it really felt like the cast and crew were working on a short leash. Everything about the narrative and visual presentation felt safe, sanitised, by-the-numbers, undercooked, and dull.

The film never gets silly enough to be memorable, even if it does get its share of decent laughs. And it also never gets scary or edgy enough to be memorable either.

There's no distinct style or vision here. It's like store-brand vanilla ice cream. There isn't even anything particularly wrong with it; it's just so bland that it's not going to be remembered for anything at all.

Haunted Mansion is the 2023 Reboot of the famous spooky Disney ride. It follows around a single mother recruiting people to help her exorcise the ghosts from her mansion. The main focus of the story is on LaKeith Stanfield, a paranormal guide with a tragic past. I love KaKeith as an actor and he carries this movie. He is the emotional center of the story and he brought his "A" game to a movie that he didn't have to try as hard. I got a little teared up a couple of times because of him. The rest of the cast is ok. They mostly serves as comic relief and certain roles for the team and plot. The story is good. They actually have a great explanation on why the family doesn't just leave the mansion. The villain and ghost are great. If you are a fan of the ride, there are a lot of references and nodes but none of them feel really forced. This is a nice fun movie that should be near Halloween, not sure why they released it in July. I enjoyed this way more than the Eddie Murphy movie. Kids will have fun with it and adults can enjoy it too around Halloween.

My friend who used to work at a movie theatre and who I hadn't seen in a while expressed interest in watching this one so I decided to oblige him on this point. I expected some laughs and innocent scares but while I was impressed with the visual effects, I didn't think there were many funny scenes or lines unless they were said by Danny DeVito. Still, I liked it fine most of the time and so did my friend. Nice to see all the familiar New Orleans landmarks since I and my friend only live a two-hour drive from there. This friend said he liked it better than the Eddie Murphy version which I've yet to watch. In summary, we both say give this Haunted Mansion a look. P. S. I personally thought it was a shame there was no scene of DeVito with his former "Taxi" co-star Marilu Henner who seemed wasted as a NO tourist.

It wanted to score too easy, was way to slow and the jokes were to predictable all the times. Sorry to see they hurried the history plot line so much, which (on itself) would make a more than fine script. Also sorry to see that many of the beloved characters where also 'just there to be there'; if you blinked your eyes you could have mist it.

Nice to see the decor that makes the entourage of the attraction. But that's about it I'm afraid. The acting was almost on amateur level, the lines and the plot to thin. It made me even long for the previous version. Which also had a lot of things to comment on.