The Haunted Mansion (D+ or 1.5/4 stars)
Walt Disney, himself, would not approve of 'Haunted Mansion', directed by Rob Minkoff & loosely based on the famous theme park ride. I say loosely, but, what else should I have expected? The ride is fantastic, but to create a film based on the ride must have been a difficult task. One would think that someone could think up a tangible, original, child-based storyline for a Disney film. Well, it seems like they missed the boat with this one.
Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is an emphatic realtor. The other loves of his life include his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason), & his 2 children. They live in New Orleans. But those loves seem too often take a backseat to his career; Sara is not happy with this. Even when they go on family vacation, Jim is sidetracked by the possibility to put the Gracey Mansion on the market. They drive up to the mansion, & it is in near decay. Huge iron gate entrance, overgrown shrubbery, cobwebs everywhere … everything you have grown to love from the ride. Once inside, we meet the butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp), & the Lord of the mansion, Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker). Ramsley is one of the most macabre, gaunt, stereotypical butlers you will ever see … he is great. We get to know a back story of Lord Gracey & his mansion in a flashback at the very beginning of the film. Centuries ago, Master Gracey was in love with a young woman who strikingly resembled Sara Evers, Jim's wife. In flashback, we learn that the woman commits suicide, & that Master Gracey, upon learning that his bride is dead, decides to hang himself. This is the vision we see in the beginning of the ride when the lightning flashes, we look up, and there is a dangling body from the stretched ceiling.
Along the way, we meet Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly). She is the head that floats inside the crystal ball in the ride. She appears at several parts in the film to give instruction to Jim, who is trying to escape the mansion. The scene where the crystal ball floats up next to Jim in the front yard by the car made me laugh … because it's ridiculous. Something else I do not like is the viewing of the cemetery in the back yard (worst visual effects ever). This is the scene where we hear Eddie Murphy, 'There are some dead people in the BACK yard'. Funny line … and it is one of few. One of the few things I enjoyed in this film is the inclusion of the barbershop quartet heads. They show up at just the right times and I got a good chuckle out of their singing. This was taken right from the ride.
The most interesting, yet awkward aspect of this film was the way that it deals with the race issue. As an adult, it's very interesting that Master Gracey is going to wed a black woman in Old New Orleans. This theme is something that would work in a non-Disney film. Because this film is geared towards young kids, & because it is incredibly goofy, and because it isn’t successful (in my eyes), it makes the race issue seem completely misplaced and unimportant. This is the biggest failure of the film for me. As much as I did not care for Eddie Murphy in this film, or the half-assed visual effects, it's the misplacement of the race issue in this children's movie that put me over the edge.
The plot's ending is full of over-the-top drama, but is contrived & weak. I didn’t expect a strong story, but I was hoping for something resembling the intelligence & mastery of Pirates of the Caribbean. This movie is far inferior. I tried to put myself in the mind frame of a child and if I would have enjoyed 'The Haunted Mansion'. I probably would have. But now, as an adult, looking back, I would be saying, 'And I liked this? How?'
Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy) is an emphatic realtor. The other loves of his life include his wife, Sara (Marsha Thomason), & his 2 children. They live in New Orleans. But those loves seem too often take a backseat to his career; Sara is not happy with this. Even when they go on family vacation, Jim is sidetracked by the possibility to put the Gracey Mansion on the market. They drive up to the mansion, & it is in near decay. Huge iron gate entrance, overgrown shrubbery, cobwebs everywhere … everything you have grown to love from the ride. Once inside, we meet the butler, Ramsley (Terence Stamp), & the Lord of the mansion, Master Gracey (Nathaniel Parker). Ramsley is one of the most macabre, gaunt, stereotypical butlers you will ever see … he is great. We get to know a back story of Lord Gracey & his mansion in a flashback at the very beginning of the film. Centuries ago, Master Gracey was in love with a young woman who strikingly resembled Sara Evers, Jim's wife. In flashback, we learn that the woman commits suicide, & that Master Gracey, upon learning that his bride is dead, decides to hang himself. This is the vision we see in the beginning of the ride when the lightning flashes, we look up, and there is a dangling body from the stretched ceiling.
Along the way, we meet Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly). She is the head that floats inside the crystal ball in the ride. She appears at several parts in the film to give instruction to Jim, who is trying to escape the mansion. The scene where the crystal ball floats up next to Jim in the front yard by the car made me laugh … because it's ridiculous. Something else I do not like is the viewing of the cemetery in the back yard (worst visual effects ever). This is the scene where we hear Eddie Murphy, 'There are some dead people in the BACK yard'. Funny line … and it is one of few. One of the few things I enjoyed in this film is the inclusion of the barbershop quartet heads. They show up at just the right times and I got a good chuckle out of their singing. This was taken right from the ride.
The most interesting, yet awkward aspect of this film was the way that it deals with the race issue. As an adult, it's very interesting that Master Gracey is going to wed a black woman in Old New Orleans. This theme is something that would work in a non-Disney film. Because this film is geared towards young kids, & because it is incredibly goofy, and because it isn’t successful (in my eyes), it makes the race issue seem completely misplaced and unimportant. This is the biggest failure of the film for me. As much as I did not care for Eddie Murphy in this film, or the half-assed visual effects, it's the misplacement of the race issue in this children's movie that put me over the edge.
The plot's ending is full of over-the-top drama, but is contrived & weak. I didn’t expect a strong story, but I was hoping for something resembling the intelligence & mastery of Pirates of the Caribbean. This movie is far inferior. I tried to put myself in the mind frame of a child and if I would have enjoyed 'The Haunted Mansion'. I probably would have. But now, as an adult, looking back, I would be saying, 'And I liked this? How?'