It's not clear why Steven Spielberg's Amblin decided to make a live-action entertainment starring the least interesting and most saccharine of all 50s cartoon characters.
Casper (1995)
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Reviews Counted:9
Fresh:3
Rotten:6
Average Rating:4.6/10
Consensus: A meandering, mindless family movie that frequently resorts to special effects and transparent sappiness.
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Steven Spielberg produced this live-action feature starring the friendly ghost created in 1940 by Joe Orolio. In it, greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden inherits the haunted Whipstaff Manor and... Steven Spielberg produced this live-action feature starring the friendly ghost created in 1940 by Joe Orolio. In it, greedy heiress Carrigan Crittenden inherits the haunted Whipstaff Manor and discovers that the house contains a treasure, which is closely guarded by three nasty ghosts. She invites ghost therapist Dr. James Harvey, and his daughter Kat, to move into the eerie mansion and get rid of the supernatural creatures. The nephew of the three spirits is Casper, a friendly ghost who becomes Kat's pal. Casper takes Kat to his father's secret lab where he once attempted to bring Casper back to life with a special machine. Carrigan eavesdrops on their conversation and decides to become a ghost herself, in the hope that she will get the booty more easily. Then she can use the machine to change back to a human. However, Carrigan doesn't realize that you can't flirt with the afterlife. [More]
Starring: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
Starring: Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
Director: Brad Silberling
Director: Brad Silberling
Composer: James Horner
Producer: Colin Wilson
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Reviews for Casper
Once the audience has become inured to the wide-eyed protagonist and impressive digitized effects, there's little sense of wonder or awe to be found.
Casper's movie is not the cleverest one around, but its hero may be the most lovable.
This doesn't usually happen to me, but 15 minutes before the end of Casper I suddenly realized that if I didn't take a deep breath, I was going to start sobbing.
Without the talent of Ricci, Casper would have been a truly barren motion picture. As it is, it's still not very good.
As expected, it features extra-spectral effects, slews of celebrity guest shots and splendidly decorated sets. For all of that, though, the film is duller than a dead man's eyes.
As a technical achievement, it's impressive, and entertaining. And there is even a little winsome philosophy.
Casper moves like a dirge, especially when it sinks into a meditation on death a la Ghost. As specter spectacles go, Casper is a bit of a ghost bust.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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