Casper is a
movie I enjoy watching over and over again, even after 17 years. This 1995 film
is still very impressive. The acting and performances by both Bill Pullman and
Christina Ricci are something I truly admire, especially since both actors had
to act without anything being there—the ghosts were CGI effects added after
filming. So, when these two act scared or are talking to the ghosts, they were
essentially talking to thin air.
The movie is
interesting and likable, though the plot holes are pretty obvious, especially
with the whole "crossing over" thing. That said, the production
quality is good enough to make you overlook those flaws.
The movie is
based on a children’s book titled The Friendly Ghost, released in 1939,
and an animated series from 1945. It’s directed by Brad Silberling, who did a
moderately good job here. He went on to direct City of Angels (1998),
which wasn’t well-received, and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate
Events (2004).
The plot starts
with the antagonist, Carrigan, discovering that her late father willed her an
abandoned house. This makes her furious because all she wanted was his money.
While disposing of the papers for the house, she finds a note saying there’s a
treasure hidden inside.
Now determined
to get the treasure, she goes to the house only to discover it’s haunted by
four ghosts. She hires Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) to help exorcise them.
James moves into the house with his daughter, Kat (Christina Ricci). Although
James has experience dealing with ghosts, he’s never actually seen one, so both
he and his daughter are scared out of their minds when they move in.
Casper was a
huge commercial success, bringing in over $280 million from its $55
million production cost. However, the movie didn’t receive great reviews,
holding a 44% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie’s
downside is the role of the antagonist, Carrigan (played by Cathy Moriarty).
She comes off as viciously stupid. The writers made her so money-hungry that
she throws everything away just to get a treasure box—without even knowing
what’s inside.
All in all, this
is a nice DVD to own. Casper had two sequels (that I know of): Casper: A
Spirited Beginning (1997) and Casper Meets Wendy (1998). The
sequels featured new people, but the ghosts—Casper, Stretch, Stinkie, and
Fatso—were all present. Cathy Moriarty, who played Carrigan in the original,
also appeared in Casper Meets Wendy as the head witch. None of the
sequels come close to being as good as the original, so don’t even bother.
0 comments:
Post a Comment