Movie Review # 468: The Haunted Mansion (2003)

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all excited for some more movie reviewing as of today. Today, we are going to go back to a time in the early to mid-2000s, when Disney seemed more interested in making live-action films that were based on some of the parks at places like Disney Land, and Disney World. As some of us may recall, one of these films, Pirates Of The Caribbean, turned into a movie franchise that has spanned across five films thus far, beginning in 2003, and up through 2017, and likely even beyond if there end up being more sequels in that franchise. However, what some people may not know is that in 2003, the same year that the first Pirates Of The Caribbean made it’s debut, Disney also made another live-action film that starred people like Eddie Murphy, and was based on another ride that’s featured in the parks. Yes, based on that scary ride known as The Haunted Mansion, the movie, which goes by that same title, is what we shall be reviewing today. So let’s go to that mansion for a bit, shall we?

Plot: A workaholic real estate agent named Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy, along with his wife Marsha Thomason), and his two kids (Marc John Jefferies, and Aree Davies respectively) are given an offer on a mansion that is on the way to where they’re planning to take a vacation. But when circumstances force them to stay at the mansion for a while, they discover that the house could be potentially haunted, and that there may be a curse that needs to be destroyed. Will Jim Evers, and his family be able to destroy whatever haunts the house, or will they be locked up in the home for the rest of their days?

Alright, first of all, why did a film like this get released around Thanksgiving time, and not around Halloween time like a film like this should have? And why not release Disney’s Brother Bear around Thanksgiving time instead? Okay, I understand that Disney was likely trying to release films like Home On The Range (the Disney animated film that followed Brother Bear) as early in April as possible to avoid potential competition with other films that would later be released in May. Still, why not instead release Haunted Mansion around Halloween time, and Brother Bear around Thanksgiving time, and scrap Home On The Range altogether (especially since Home On The Range wasn’t all that great in the first place)? But whatever! Regardless, even Haunted Mansion was certainly a decent film, I’m not sure that it was quite as good as films like Pirates Of The Caribbean. Oh yes, Haunted Mansion is still good, but there are areas in which it probably could have improved. To begin, the film suffers from quite a few cliches, most notably the main character starting off as this workaholic, and his family basically getting so angry at him because of that. I understand that it may have been a way of giving Jim Evers a character arc, and things like that. Still, couldn’t they have likely found another way to handle that? Anyway, the film story may have likely been a little too short, and should have maybe extended to a little more than an hour and a half, or something like that. Also, besides Jim, Ramsley the butler, Edward Gracey, the owner of the mansion, and the stone singing quartet (more on then in a bit), none of the other characters seem to be all that memorable, and/or that likable. In addition to these, the villain’s motives for some of his actions seemed somewhat lame. His motives could have maybe been a little more interesting, you know? Not to mention that the villain could have maybe been given a little more to do. One other thing to mention is that the film is most likely a little too dark, and scary for a PG-rated film. Truthfully, this is not for kids all that much. In fact, it should have been rated PG-13, like Pirates Of The Caribbean. Now, I know what you’re thinking! What about Pirates Of The Caribbean, or even an animated film like 2009’s The Princess & The Frog? Those were rather dark, and scary for kids too? Yes, Pirates Of The Caribbean did have some frightening moments like with the Pirates being skeletons at night, or even when someone got shot. However, at least the dark elements didn’t seem to go too over the top, and still felt like something that kids could still enjoy. Same with Princess & The Frog! Yes, the voodoo element was very dark at times, but at least Disney knew how to lighten the moment with fun songs, and rather comedic moments even more so, you know? Yes, Haunted Mansion does have those moments too. But still, this should have been rated for PG-13.

Now, with all that out of the way, what things did work? Well, for one, the film did excellent with showing how a person would feel, and how they would maybe act on them if they lost a loved one. I won’t go into details on that, as some here still have yet to see this film. Also, Eddie Murphy provides some of the greatest puns, and jokes on this film. Man, if it wasn’t for him, I’m not so sure that this film would have been quite nearly as fun as it was. But man, did he help bring in some comic relief for this film. Thank you, Disney, for casting Eddie Murphy in this film. Additionally, how could you not love the stone singing quartet in this film? I’m sort of surprised that they weren’t even more involved in this story as much as they were. Oh, and in addition to Eddie Murphy, even if not all of the characters themselves were that memorable, the actors did really well. A couple standouts especially would be Terence Stamp as the antagonist, Nathaniel Parker as Master Edward Gracey, send Jennifer Tilly as a talking crystal ball. Hold on, yes, as a Christian, I understand that crystal balls are a form of witchcraft. Still, to have a talking crystal ball in a fantasy film like this one, how could one not like that? And speaking of Terence Stamp, I heard someone comment that if, or when Disney comes out with a remake of The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Terence Stamp would be a perfect choice for Judge Claude Frollo. Boy, could I not agree more. Next, there is also the climax. On the one hand, the climax may have felt a little short-lived, and could have likely lasted longer than it did. On the other hand, it does work to a degree, and can feel rather poetic with how things turn out. I won’t spoil much beyond that, but I’m sure people would love the climax for how it’s handled in the end. Finally the film provides some good messages about learning to conquer fears, thinking about things from other people’s perspectives, not always trusting those that you may be really close to.

And that’s my review for Disney’s The Haunted Mansion. Although this may not be one of Disney’s best works, it does benefit from a decent script, some creatively rendered characters, really hilarious moments, an interesting climax, and some good messages. Yes, people may have a little more fun with films like Pirates Of The Caribbean, and other films of this type. Still, because The Haunted Mansion has some very good things in it too, people should most definitely give it a chance if they haven’t yet. I would also caution parents to wait until their kids are in their teen years, or even 20s to see a film like this one. Well, definitely rent it, or even see it on Disney+, and see what you all think!

Final Grade: B-