LIKES:
The Comedy At Times: -The movie has about three or four layers of laughs to it that should offer variety to the families intending to see it.
-One part is silly humor, stumbling, laughing, and slapstick that leads to easy laughs for the little ones to enjoy.
-The next one or two is the one liners. One part is quotable madness for the kids, cute, whimsy, fun, and simple, while the other is the grown up words that scratch that itch of nostalgia. It works well when in balance, if not a tad silly as you shall see.
-And my level, the sarcasm and sass of the conversation that really hits that situational style with a touch of relevance that in a spooky situation works for the relief. Quite Impressive if I do say so myself.
The Easter Eggs: -It's a movie about a famous ride, and as mentioned Haunted Mansion has layers for the avid rider to seek out.
-Disney's self-promotion does pay heed to some classic landmarks to the tale, finding the right designs to bring back the famous ride.
-I love nostalgia like this, but what I love even more is the placement and integration of the eggs into the movie, that aren't too over the top or forced in my eyes.
-Sometimes it's just a comedic gag, merely paired with a line or two to call attention.
-Other times though, it's a story arc or obstacle that I think worked and tried to take the rewritten lore to a level that felt necessary for the plot's direction.
The Acting: -It's a loaded cast and I can't lie, I was impressed with the balance of all these actors having decent time on the screen or use in the story.
-Every actor had some moments that were stellar, a great presentation that proved why they joined this supernatural family and joined the mansion's halls.
-I'd like to praise all of them, but limited room will keep me to the three top cast alone.
-Wilson, is the role he always plays and you know what it works. Levels of serious character development with goofy vagabond work in this complicated manner. That performance may be the same style he presents, but how it drives the story and relieves the darker tones works to a degree.
-Dawson is fine when she pulls her moments out, the talented woman has this care and dry humor that feels realistic, fun, if not a bit relevant to the motherly figure. She just needed... well more to let her flex those acting guns she proves she has.
-As for LaKeith, the man shows just how talented he is with this level of emotion on the more intense moments that reflect hurt, doubt, depression, and so much more. I felt for his story and the delivery of those moments of someone struggling with something.
The Story: -There are moments in this film where the story goes deep, a level that I think is respectful, exploring emotions perfect for this setting.
-It adds a little more flair and adult elements to the movie, makes the film a tad more on the pre-teen than kid level, but really helps add character depth.
-The rest of the movie has elements that are in line with the lore of the ride: a mystery element to solve, some horror occult components dialed back to what feels like a theme park ride, and plenty of drama that again works for character moments.
-And helping to again respect the lore of the ride in the new medium, is something I have to applaud they were trying for in this movie.
The Visuals: -By far, the movie's visuals and setting reign lord of the manor for this reviewer.
-The mansion feels like an expanded version of the ride, the structure, feel, architecture, and more that screams an adaptation of the Haunted Mansion.
-Seeing the computer animation moments were certainly exciting, watching the house change, fold, twist and turn to match the agenda of the Hat Box ghost was one of the best moments for me, holding some elements of Dr. Strange magic with it.
-The lighting helps to add that enchantment level, an Imagineer creation with more realistic styles that help add the occult atmosphere with the fantasy elements of the park.
-Costume gain points for modern and classic styles mixing, bringing to life the complexity of New Orleans, while not being so gaudy or distracting from the things around them that it takes away from the setting.
-And the fact that CGI with real life came together in (mostly) fluid visuals and transitions, is bonus points compared to some of the other amalgamations that Hollywood has generated.
-The bottom line, the world is created well with the modern twist, binding all the elements together that make it feel like Haunted Mansion.
DISLIKES:
Rosario Dawson and Curtis' Time: -Two big actresses, and two big parts, but the time levels did little to reflect what these women are known to bring to their acting game.
-Rosario's moments were fine, but her character had more to her I felt, but got kind of lost to the other character traits that her support felt very... lacking. To waste that talent was not my favorite direction, given again the levels of character that could have risen from the grave.
-For Curtis, she's funny, she's elaborate, she has the regality at times, an accent that is cheesy, but just fun.
-Yet, like Dawson, her involvement is very one note, some forced comedy with a little over the top moments that are charming, sweet, and kid level power, but not really attuning to her full potential.
The Comedy Goes A Little Too Silly: -This is a kids movie and I know family movies have to be silly given the broad range of age and maturity.
-Still, the movie sometimes drags out too silly of a movie to relieve the darker elements and the macabre elements they were exploring.
-Our actors drop their good performances for very forced bouts of awful running, stumbling words of Whoa, Oh, or Watch Out, that are flat and unbelievable.
-And throw in how forced some of the jokes are, going deep into left field that didn't ring well with me or the audience in the room.
-It will work for families who just like to giggle and laugh at the simplistic moments, or perhaps more at how their kids get excited seeing these lines.
Lazy Design of Some Ghosts: -I'll say it, Haunted Mansion got lazy about halfway through with the design of the specters that the predecessor did better.
-They may have better animation and colors, but what started as creative, unique ghosts with personality in design and a few words, gets lost to generic, ectoplasmic copies that are nothing more than time and money saving.
-A shame given again just how many designs they have to play with, but in a world of shrinking budgets, I can't say that seeing it surprised me.
Lost Opportunities: -The Haunted Mansion is a playground of things to explore, do, and help add the thrill to a movie that is reliant on said thrills.
-And to a degree they kind of do it, but I can't say the presence of this movie is as strong a haunting as they wanted.
-The mystery element is quickly erased by jokes, simple puzzles and solutions that are time conscious, but boring for viewers like me.
-A race through the halls, and uncovering truths, gets diluted to comedic plot devices and convenience factors that are cute, funny, but so lackluster to the adventure the other movie did.
-The buildup to the end hinted at some wow moments, but by this point it was so wrapped up in the comedic element and family tone that the connection to the world was fading.
-A lame attempt at heroics, a standoff that lacked teeth, fighting to end the big bad moment, it all just came out bland, sad, and again designed for a PG level audience to a modern degree.
-And the main issue, I think, is that it couldn't get its tone, elements that mixed haphazardly together that held a pale level of involvement that I could just not get a feel for.
-It was too many diverse profiles that works for that "something for everybody" vibe, but in terms of storytelling, climax, and engaging thrills that the ride does better for me.
The VERDICT: Haunted Mansion is a movie that has a lot of zest and modern wows that make for a fun escape from the realities of the world, sort of. It's elements that make it theater worthy are about the presentation mainly in the characters and the looks. The acting is fine for the most part, only dipping when we get extremely silly and forced tones that they don't seem ready to act out. As for the visuals, they are the things bringing the dead ironically to life. The way they pay homage to the ride, but warp it in this fantastic Disney vibe of spooky works very well to be entertaining and fun. However, the movie fails to live up to the full potential of the trailers for me, mainly in not being able to balance the feel and the genres in a manner that works in tandem. Trying to be for the family, but still be spooky and thrilling just don't mesh well and left me bored and wanting more given the setup of the film. All the elements I liked seemed to be working towards something, but then got snuffed out in some rush towards a hasty end to the budget. The result... the movie just felt a shade of what it could have been given the Disney of old. All of this comes together so that the séance of spookiness is rated as:
Comedy/Drama/Family: 7.0 Movie overall: 6.0.
The Comedy At Times: -The movie has about three or four layers of laughs to it that should offer variety to the families intending to see it.
-One part is silly humor, stumbling, laughing, and slapstick that leads to easy laughs for the little ones to enjoy.
-The next one or two is the one liners. One part is quotable madness for the kids, cute, whimsy, fun, and simple, while the other is the grown up words that scratch that itch of nostalgia. It works well when in balance, if not a tad silly as you shall see.
-And my level, the sarcasm and sass of the conversation that really hits that situational style with a touch of relevance that in a spooky situation works for the relief. Quite Impressive if I do say so myself.
The Easter Eggs: -It's a movie about a famous ride, and as mentioned Haunted Mansion has layers for the avid rider to seek out.
-Disney's self-promotion does pay heed to some classic landmarks to the tale, finding the right designs to bring back the famous ride.
-I love nostalgia like this, but what I love even more is the placement and integration of the eggs into the movie, that aren't too over the top or forced in my eyes.
-Sometimes it's just a comedic gag, merely paired with a line or two to call attention.
-Other times though, it's a story arc or obstacle that I think worked and tried to take the rewritten lore to a level that felt necessary for the plot's direction.
The Acting: -It's a loaded cast and I can't lie, I was impressed with the balance of all these actors having decent time on the screen or use in the story.
-Every actor had some moments that were stellar, a great presentation that proved why they joined this supernatural family and joined the mansion's halls.
-I'd like to praise all of them, but limited room will keep me to the three top cast alone.
-Wilson, is the role he always plays and you know what it works. Levels of serious character development with goofy vagabond work in this complicated manner. That performance may be the same style he presents, but how it drives the story and relieves the darker tones works to a degree.
-Dawson is fine when she pulls her moments out, the talented woman has this care and dry humor that feels realistic, fun, if not a bit relevant to the motherly figure. She just needed... well more to let her flex those acting guns she proves she has.
-As for LaKeith, the man shows just how talented he is with this level of emotion on the more intense moments that reflect hurt, doubt, depression, and so much more. I felt for his story and the delivery of those moments of someone struggling with something.
The Story: -There are moments in this film where the story goes deep, a level that I think is respectful, exploring emotions perfect for this setting.
-It adds a little more flair and adult elements to the movie, makes the film a tad more on the pre-teen than kid level, but really helps add character depth.
-The rest of the movie has elements that are in line with the lore of the ride: a mystery element to solve, some horror occult components dialed back to what feels like a theme park ride, and plenty of drama that again works for character moments.
-And helping to again respect the lore of the ride in the new medium, is something I have to applaud they were trying for in this movie.
The Visuals: -By far, the movie's visuals and setting reign lord of the manor for this reviewer.
-The mansion feels like an expanded version of the ride, the structure, feel, architecture, and more that screams an adaptation of the Haunted Mansion.
-Seeing the computer animation moments were certainly exciting, watching the house change, fold, twist and turn to match the agenda of the Hat Box ghost was one of the best moments for me, holding some elements of Dr. Strange magic with it.
-The lighting helps to add that enchantment level, an Imagineer creation with more realistic styles that help add the occult atmosphere with the fantasy elements of the park.
-Costume gain points for modern and classic styles mixing, bringing to life the complexity of New Orleans, while not being so gaudy or distracting from the things around them that it takes away from the setting.
-And the fact that CGI with real life came together in (mostly) fluid visuals and transitions, is bonus points compared to some of the other amalgamations that Hollywood has generated.
-The bottom line, the world is created well with the modern twist, binding all the elements together that make it feel like Haunted Mansion.
DISLIKES:
Rosario Dawson and Curtis' Time: -Two big actresses, and two big parts, but the time levels did little to reflect what these women are known to bring to their acting game.
-Rosario's moments were fine, but her character had more to her I felt, but got kind of lost to the other character traits that her support felt very... lacking. To waste that talent was not my favorite direction, given again the levels of character that could have risen from the grave.
-For Curtis, she's funny, she's elaborate, she has the regality at times, an accent that is cheesy, but just fun.
-Yet, like Dawson, her involvement is very one note, some forced comedy with a little over the top moments that are charming, sweet, and kid level power, but not really attuning to her full potential.
The Comedy Goes A Little Too Silly: -This is a kids movie and I know family movies have to be silly given the broad range of age and maturity.
-Still, the movie sometimes drags out too silly of a movie to relieve the darker elements and the macabre elements they were exploring.
-Our actors drop their good performances for very forced bouts of awful running, stumbling words of Whoa, Oh, or Watch Out, that are flat and unbelievable.
-And throw in how forced some of the jokes are, going deep into left field that didn't ring well with me or the audience in the room.
-It will work for families who just like to giggle and laugh at the simplistic moments, or perhaps more at how their kids get excited seeing these lines.
Lazy Design of Some Ghosts: -I'll say it, Haunted Mansion got lazy about halfway through with the design of the specters that the predecessor did better.
-They may have better animation and colors, but what started as creative, unique ghosts with personality in design and a few words, gets lost to generic, ectoplasmic copies that are nothing more than time and money saving.
-A shame given again just how many designs they have to play with, but in a world of shrinking budgets, I can't say that seeing it surprised me.
Lost Opportunities: -The Haunted Mansion is a playground of things to explore, do, and help add the thrill to a movie that is reliant on said thrills.
-And to a degree they kind of do it, but I can't say the presence of this movie is as strong a haunting as they wanted.
-The mystery element is quickly erased by jokes, simple puzzles and solutions that are time conscious, but boring for viewers like me.
-A race through the halls, and uncovering truths, gets diluted to comedic plot devices and convenience factors that are cute, funny, but so lackluster to the adventure the other movie did.
-The buildup to the end hinted at some wow moments, but by this point it was so wrapped up in the comedic element and family tone that the connection to the world was fading.
-A lame attempt at heroics, a standoff that lacked teeth, fighting to end the big bad moment, it all just came out bland, sad, and again designed for a PG level audience to a modern degree.
-And the main issue, I think, is that it couldn't get its tone, elements that mixed haphazardly together that held a pale level of involvement that I could just not get a feel for.
-It was too many diverse profiles that works for that "something for everybody" vibe, but in terms of storytelling, climax, and engaging thrills that the ride does better for me.
The VERDICT: Haunted Mansion is a movie that has a lot of zest and modern wows that make for a fun escape from the realities of the world, sort of. It's elements that make it theater worthy are about the presentation mainly in the characters and the looks. The acting is fine for the most part, only dipping when we get extremely silly and forced tones that they don't seem ready to act out. As for the visuals, they are the things bringing the dead ironically to life. The way they pay homage to the ride, but warp it in this fantastic Disney vibe of spooky works very well to be entertaining and fun. However, the movie fails to live up to the full potential of the trailers for me, mainly in not being able to balance the feel and the genres in a manner that works in tandem. Trying to be for the family, but still be spooky and thrilling just don't mesh well and left me bored and wanting more given the setup of the film. All the elements I liked seemed to be working towards something, but then got snuffed out in some rush towards a hasty end to the budget. The result... the movie just felt a shade of what it could have been given the Disney of old. All of this comes together so that the séance of spookiness is rated as:
Comedy/Drama/Family: 7.0 Movie overall: 6.0.