October 11, 2015
The Haunted Mansion.
Review #746: The Haunted Mansion.
Cast
Eddie Murphy (Jim Evers), Terence Stamp (Ramsley), Nathaniel Parker (Master Edward Gracey), Marsha Thomason (Sara Evers/Elizabeth Henshaw), Jennifer Tilly (Madame Leota), Wallace Shawn (Ezra), Dina Waters (Emma), Marc John Jefferies (Michael Evers), and Aree Davis (Megan Evers) Directed by Rob Minkoff (#073 - The Lion King)
Review
Yep, I knew I would get to this one eventually. Not because I actually was interested in the movie, but because I figured that I'd have to dust this off my shelf and actually watch this for the first time in years. After watching it again, I have no reason to ever touch it, unless my shelf mysteriously burns down and this is the only surviving object. If you want a movie with Eddie Murphy, look elsewhere. If you want a movie with Terence Stamp, look elsewhere. If you want a movie that's funny, look elsewhere. If you want a movie that has some scares and thrills, look elsewhere. If you want- you get the idea. The main problem is that the movie doesn't fit for anyone looking for entertainment in either comedy or horror or even fantasy, because it doesn't leave any lasting impressions. I wish the movie had focused more on the ghosts such as Gracey and his relationship with Henshaw, because most of what you get to know about it (like Ramsley interfering with the impending marriage and the aftermath) only seems to pop up after the movie has already played itself out and used up its effects. Why did Ramsely not approve of the marriage? Who was Elizabeth, because we hear her mentioned, but we never really see her as much. Instead, we get a story that's about as standard as one can get, with a workaholic character, an evil butler, and so on. At least the acting isn't bad, though I do wonder what interested Terence Stamp, who hams it up a bit, especially at the end. The movie is neither funny or scary, but it's not beyond awful. The makeup effects by Rick Baker do look well, and the movie at least runs short at around 88 minutes, which means one will probably forget the movie after about an hour. I had not realized that this was based off an attraction used at Disney theme parks. Looking back, I wonder how the attraction is compared to this.
Countdown to 750 Reviews: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4...
Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.
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