Movie Review: Casper
Rate This Article
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the cartoon Casper and other
Casper movies are much milder than this one. There are deaths
here and much talk about the spirit world and grieving the loss
of parents. The main character, Kat, sees one parent as a
ghost, and another parent dies and comes back with the help of
an invention. Kat also has a crush on Casper, who died as a
tween boy. Casper's ghost uncles can be crude and mischievous
and they take Kat's father out drinking at a bar.
Families can talk about fantasies and ghosts. What is appealing about ghost stories? Why do you think Casper is friendly while his uncles are looking to cause trouble? Why do you think so many ghost stories take place in mansions?
Common Sense Media Review
Motherless Kat Harvey (
Christina
Ricci) and her father (
Bill
Pullman), a psychologist who helps spirits complete their
journey onto death, move into Whipstaff Manor. The nasty
Carrigan Crittenden has hired the doctor to rid her recently
inherited property of its ghosts so she can hunt for the
treasure hidden somewhere within its walls. One of the ghosts,
Casper, develops a crush on Kat, while his rowdy ghost uncles
make life comically difficult for everyone.
During a Halloween party at the house, Kat and Casper discover a "resurrection machine" built by Casper's father, as well as the "treasure" -- Casper's old baseball mitt. Carrigan, who's been spying on the kids, finds that the machine is the true treasure and rushes to claim it. But when Dr. Harvey comes back from hanging out with Casper's uncles as one of them, a madcap running about the house and in and out of spirit worlds ensues and Casper has to make a tough choice: his life, or Dr. Harvey's?
According to one 10-year-old viewer, the haunted house in CASPER is "totally cool." And great special effects and the fine acting will entertain 9- to 12-year-olds. They may also like the mild romance between Casper and Kat. Teens will find the scares too mild and the tone too sentimental at times.
That said, the relationship between Kat and her father is genuinely sweet. Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan is enjoyably Cruella de Vil-ish, and sidekick Dibs ( Monty Python's Idle) has funny moments. Cameos by exorcist Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci and Dan Aykroyd as Ghostbusters ' Dr. Ray Stantz are good in-jokes. The Victorian Gothic set -- with a nifty revolving panel and roller-coaster-ride to the basement -- is indeed cool.
Still, the old Casper cartoons might serve young viewers better, while older kids with a taste for more spookily haunted houses may prefer 1947's excellent The Ghost and Mrs. Muir . Tweens will also enjoy the Twitches and Halloweentown series.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
