Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Console best movie i've ever seen.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

gavin6942 Workaholic realtor Jim Evers (Eddie Murphy), his wife/business partner Sara and their two children are summoned to a mansion. When they discover that the place is haunted, Jim discovers an important lesson about the family he's neglected as they attempt to escape.Other than the "Shrek" films, Eddie Murphy's career took a rather downward turn after the 1980s. And although he may or may not have been right for this part (something seems a little off), it is not the terrible flop that people make it out to be.Fans of the ride will be impressed with how they were able to take so many elements and turn them into a single narrative. If you want a faithful adaptation, this is much closer to the source than "Pirates of the Caribbean" (even if that is the better film).There are a few scenes that might scare younger viewers (much like the ride), but overall this is pretty good family fun. Besides Murphy, we get some decent performances from Wallace Shawn and the wonderful Terence Stamp, who does the Karloff-as-old-butler routine quite nicely.

Nicolas Ravasi I have a personal history of hatred and contempt for this piece of crap Eddie Murphy apparently calls a movie. Once every few years this movie has come to hunt me back, twice at school and thrice on TV. Even when I was 8 I hated this, six years have passed and the situation isn't much better. The biggest flaw of this movie is its humor, which practically non- existent. Eddie Murphy just wobbled around the haunted mansion and blurts out supposedly funny. Another huge flaw is that the characters are mostly uninteresting, and when they aren't they are simply walking comedic atrocities, with unfunny jokes and annoying voices galore! However, it's not all bad. The actors playing the various roles are not bad (except for of course the big Eddie), and the sets are so delightfully corny. However, decent acting and sets is not enough to make up for a terrible screenplay and atrocious humor.In the end, I give this movie a 2 out of ten, because at least it is not Mr. Popper's penguins...another film that has haunted me from the day I saw it.

Phil Hubbs Ah 2003, the start of Disney's major theme park ride adaptations into the movies...not counting a few earlier nondescript flicks and 'Mission to Mars' which I never realised was a theme park adaptation. If you think about this premise you could be forgiven for thinking it would turn out crap, especially with Eddie Murphy involved. And you wouldn't be far wrong on that one point, the casting of Murphy and his 'family' members in this film was a terrible choice.The reason being they all stick out like a sore thumb in the story, they all look totally out of place and none can act too well. The film has been turned into a Murphy vehicle and the film suffers for it, it feels forced, his family in the film feel forced and fake, the silly humour and annoying dialog from Murphy feels forced and its all in there simply for Murphy, awful decision.That aside the rest of the film is actually pretty sweet. The plot has been cleverly turned into a romantic ghost tale where upon the mansions owner is seeking his one true love whom he lost centuries ago. Of course his true love is Murphy's living wife so a battle of supernatural proportions ensues as Murphy must stop this aristocratic spook floating off with his wife.What works is the extra casting of the main ghost servants and their master within the mansion. Stamp is perfect as the stiff upper lipped butler with a dark secret, Wallace Shawn is perfect as the quirky sidekick footman ghost, Tilly is surprisingly good as the crystal ball gypsy spirit and Nathaniel Parker plays the noble British toff manor owner to a tee complete with thick dark locks. Not too sure how these ghosts work though, at times they can't or don't seem to interact with the living, then all of a sudden they can touch and pick things up.Its all very clichéd and hammy of course being based on a stereotypical haunted house attraction but that's fine, you expect that. In fact they capture that atmosphere perfectly, the whole eccentric Disney ambiance coupled with an eerie fanciful glow. Indeed the film does work better if you have actually been on the attraction at Disney World. There are many many little homages to the ride throughout the film from visual references to dialog, some sequences showing identical sections from the attraction. It does sounds kinda tacky but it really works nicely and gives you a pleasant ghostly trip down memory lane.I really liked how the ghosts become 'more dead' visually the further from the mansion they are. So once outside all the ghosts have a really cool supernatural blue glow or aura which looks quite striking. I liked the graveyard and how it housed many of the ghosts from the attraction including the three famous hitchhiker spooks. As said I also liked the replication of sets from the attraction too, the hallway of portraits being the main one easily. One thing I didn't like was the swamp set New Orleans look for the mansion, not my personal cup of tea, I prefer the Liberty Square Dutch Gothic design from Disney World's Magic Kingdom.But how did that ghostly horse drawn hearse crash through the walls of the mansion complete with Murphy and co inside?. How would ghosts be able to knock through walls when they are...errr ghosts. And how on earth would living people be able to go through the wall with the ghosts??.On the whole the film does look really good and clearly a lot of thought and craftsmanship went into making the visuals realistic. Its really nice (and amazingly surprising) that they actually constructed the mansion instead of relying on CGI. The interiors and props all benefit from genuine craftsmanship too which really sets the mood, for all you 'Nightmare Before Christmas'/Addams Family/Munster lovers out there (like me) you'll love it.This is a film you really really really really did expect to be utter utter utter tripe...but its not!. Its actually a really decent looking light-hearted supernatural ride just like the real attraction. The homages are great for folk who have been to the attraction but for those who haven't they just come across as neat spooky visual candy. As I said the only let down is Murphy and co as the endangered mortal family, well mainly Murphy. His tomfoolery lets down the quite decent performances of the supernatural cast.6.5/10

highwaytourist What was Eddie Murphy doing in this movie? The idea of having married realtors and their two children getting trapped in the haunted mansion while there on business and trying to escape wasn't a bad idea, but the execution was all wrong. Murphy endlessly mugs the camera, which makes his miscasting even more obvious. And the script? It's painfully obvious, with predictable lessons about not giving up, follow your heart, face your fears, love conquers all, and blah, blah, blah. The story is so generic that it's mechanical, all the way to its predictable ending. Very little of the original story or characters are used and when they are, they just have bit appearances. Amid all of this are beautiful costumes, decent special effects, sets that are elaborate yet artificial looking, and wisecracks that raise the occasional smile or chuckle but are never as funny as the filmmakers think they are. The best that one can say it's harmless and easy enough to take. Very faint praise indeed.