Haunted Mansion is the newest Disney try to show considered one of their nice rides right into a film—and this isn’t the primary try specializing in this specific attraction.
Eddie Murphy starred within the awful The Haunted Mansion (2003), and a few years in the past, the Muppets took a crack at it with the enjoyable Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021).
Haunted Mansion falls someplace in between its predecessors by way of high quality. A few of it’s awful, and a few of it’s nice, leading to a film that has loads of stuff of curiosity to hardcore Disney followers—even when I can’t suggest the movie. It has a big bounty of journey Easter eggs.
Rosario Dawson stars as Gabbie, a single mother attempting to start out her life over in New Orleans together with her younger son, Travis (Chase Dillon). They aren’t of their new home—the constructing referred to within the movie’s title, in fact—for various minutes earlier than hallways begin increasing; work turn into alive; and fits of armor start chasing them. They determine instantly to go away.
In steps Father Kent (Owen Wilson), a priest assigned to research the home. He enlists the assistance of Ben (LaKeith Stanfield), a scientist who has designed a digital camera that may {photograph} ghosts. Ben goes to the mansion—and discovers Gabbie and Travis are nonetheless there, as a result of, as Ben will discover out, the ghosts comply with those that have entered the home off-premises and demand you come back. It’s onerous to argue with ghosts.
Different goofy characters come into play, together with Tiffany Haddish as a psychic, Danny DeVito as a professor with a coronary heart situation, and Jamie Lee Curtis because the notorious, crystal-ball-dwelling Madame Leota. Jared Leto lends his voice to Crump, a big-screen model of the headless ghost that retains his still-alive head in a hat field.
There are nods to the journey at each nook (the cemetery employee and his canine; the hitchhiking ghosts; the ballroom dance; the chairs, and so on.), and it’s enjoyable to see them onscreen. What’s not enjoyable is the movie’s patchwork, sloppy plot that principally goes nowhere and ultimately turns into boring. The performers are principally likable, however they’re given little to do. The Crump story is one of the best plot thread, nevertheless it arrives too late into the film to put it aside.
I’m guessing this would be the final Haunted Mansion film for an extended whereas, until they decide for an inexpensive direct-to-streaming effort. Some would possibly argue that, regardless of some good manufacturing values, this Haunted Mansion ought to’ve skipped theaters and gone on to Disney+.
