The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Sometimes, basing a movie off a ride turns out great, like Pirates of the Caribbean. And sometimes, you end up with this.But is that really a bad thing? Sure, a lot of people hated the movie, but I genuinely enjoyed it. The plot, while far from scary at any point, wasn't half bad. It was creative, and actually quite fun.And the best part? The movie was hilarious. Some of the jokes were pretty clever, but the funniest parts were unintentional. In some scenes, the CGI is absolutely atrocious. And that makes it funny. It's hard not to crack up when poorly animated minuscule tubas are orbiting Eddie Murphy.Oh yeah! Did I mention Eddie Murphy? So, this movie isn't really for everyone. The overly critical and the easily offended will not like this movie. But anybody with a good sense of humor will enjoy it, despite it's faults.

The Haunted Mansion (2003): Dir: Rob Minkoff / Cast: Eddie Murphy, Terrence Stamp, Jennifer Tilly, Wallace Shawn, Dina Waters: What can one possibly say about a film based on a theme park ride? One can say that it is desperate Hollywood in action churning out one of the worst films of the year. Third grade art students can create better effects than the junk presented here. There is no real plot worth mentioning. It is just Eddie Murphy as a real estate agent who promises his frustrated family a vacation and are about to do that but must make one fatal stop. From there it is scene after scene of bad production values and pitiful storytelling of how scared they should be and how bored the audience is. Director Rob Minkoff previously directed The Lion King but you would never know it from watching this despicable garbage. Murphy will be haunted by this career kill. Being in this and Daddy Daycare the same year gives an impression that he desires to tone himself down in terms of humour but his film choices are hitting lower than any dirty humour in his more adult films. He is not at his best here but that is nothing compared to the embarrassing performance of Terrence Stamp as a butler. Others wasting valuable time are Jennifer Tilly and Wallace Shawn who can do better than this. The production values are on par with one's diarrhea. Score: 0 / 10

This is a good example of a film where the premise is promising, but the outcome doesn't really deliver. It's actually a great kids film, but the only problem is that some scenes may be too scary for kids. Adults, on the other hand, will find the movie pretty unfunny. With Eddie Murphy in the lead role it should be way more laughable, but there's maybe one good chuckle in the whole movie.Nonetheless, it's intriguing in the sense that it takes place in a mysterious mansion and much of the plot being uncovered when real estate agent, Jim Evers (Murphy), and his family get trapped inside after Evers gets asked to represent the home on the market. Little do they know the mansion owner has his own agenda and secrets to hide.It's an obvious vehicle for Disney to promote their ride of the same name. Not that we always mind it (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean) but when a premise is stretched thinly and the film still only comes in at under 90 minutes it's safe to say that they don't have much to work with. And with a ride that has so much potential for a brilliant story, we get stuck with a film that doesn't really live up to expectations.Although large portions of the film lack any substantial plot development, it's enjoyable to watch the family explore and discover the secrets that the mansion hides. But the information that we get is received in clumps at a time. I won't give anything away, but there is a curse involved in the movie and the details of said curse are highly convoluted and evoke so many questions to the viewer that the film loses a lot of credibility in the process.But the set pieces are great. The filmmakers do a good job replicating the feel of the ride itself. Children will be awed by the mystery of the whole story and even though they may not understand certain plot details, it will definitely spark their imagination.With a better script I would love to see Disney try this one again. Not that we can't like 2003's Haunted Mansion for what it is, but it's nowhere near having a "modern classic" status.Twizard Rating: 67

Realtor workaholic Jim Evers and his wife and business partner Sara gets a call late one night from mansion owner Edward Gracey, who is looking to sell his property. Smelling the biggest deal of their career, Jim, Sara and their two children pay a visit to the mansion, located on a remote bayou. A torrential thunderstorm strands the Evers family in the old mansion with the brooding, eccentric Gracey, his mysterious butler, Ramsley, and a variety of residents both seen and unseen. At first Jim scoffs at Gracey's stories about ghosts and hauntings, until he unearths the mystery of the mansion and finds that his wife Sara has unexpected connections to its haunted past....The thing is when you base a film on a theme park ride, you cannot help but use the same story and narrative. This film could have been done very seriously and been made into something that could have had the potential to be quite scary, but even Disney wouldn't take that gamble.The film is fine, Murphy is the reason to watch this, but the film is rarely funny and never scary. We move from set piece to set piece, with okay effects and learning that work isn't everything, but family is for life.Stamp is good, but looks embarrassed, and it gets a little too long in the tooth.