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Plot Summary: A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts.

Director: Justin Simien

Writer: Katie Dippold

Runtime: 2 hours 2 mins

• LaKeith Stanfield as Ben Matthias
• Rosario Dawson as Gabbie
• Owen Wilson as Father Kent
• Tiffany Haddish as Harriet
• Danny DeVito as Bruce Davis
• Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota

Review by: Samuel

After the fun of Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise, I expected the next Disney film based on a theme park ride to be just as good. And, for the most part, Haunted Mansion is exactly that.

What I Liked

A star-studded cast including LaKeith Stanfield and Rosario Dawson star in this kid-friendly adventure. I mention kid-friendly because, unlike Pirates and Jungle Cruise, this film is definitely targeted at younger children rather than teens/adults, which is not a bad thing- just something to be aware of.

So first and foremost, the cast is the heart of this film- they are the reason for admission before the story or special effects. They are both heartfelt and hilarious. The film has a clear message about grief and how to deal with it which I believe is a beneficial lesson for kids and adults alike; but at the same time, it manages to be fun and funny because of the work the cast puts in. Every character is uniquely funny. For example, Tiffany Haddish’s character of Harriet is more traditional comic relief with jokes used to cut tension whereas Danny Devito’s Professor and Stanfield’s Ben characters are more crass in their humor. It helps to make the characters feel different enough that they are believable and also makes it so the brand of humor doesn’t get stale.

Standfield is the standout here. He is the most skeptical of the bunch and the most closed off personally. He comes off as someone who at first appears like a jerk, but you can tell he’s clearly dealing with something internally. Even though you have every reason to dislike him (at first), you somehow know that you shouldn’t. That is all due to the way he is portrayed by Standfield.  Mannerisms, tones, and the emotions he carries on his face- are things that make Ben a relatable and ultimately admirable lead character. Standfield also delivers a heartfelt speech full of passion that was SO good, it could have been in an Oscar-nominated film.

What I Didn’t Like

There’s nothing here I can say is a dealbreaker but there are a few things that I think didn’t work too well for the film.

• The ghosts in the film could have been more interesting. They weren’t particularly scary, which is fine, but I wish they had more of a personality. They mostly just pop up and then remain quiet or say one or two words. I think it would have been cool if more ghosts with supernatural powers were featured more and had more of a speaking role.
• The tone of the film is a little bit uneven. I mentioned it’s both heartfelt and hilarious, but about 10% gets a little heavy for the audience the other 90% is targeted towards.
• The story is a little dumb, to be honest. Speaking as an adult who is NOT in the target audience, the plan of the big bad guy is incredibly convoluted and feels like it was being made up as the movie continued.
• Could have been 20 minutes shorter.