(...but only for children)
Start off with a shot of the moon, something like the one in
E.T., tilt down past an estate to a large iron gate (Kane style)
to discover two kids on bikes, something like the ones in E.T.,
then introduce your title ghost as a friendly miniature version
of the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters, accompanied by three
naughty Little Rascal-type ghosts, add in one father who looks
remarkably like a young Spielberg, stir in a living (blonde)
version of Gruwela, sprinkle with a number of inventions and
contraptions reminiscent of Back to the Future, cover with a
large portion of dependable family values, and finish with the
last apparition (the long lost mother) almost resembling a human
(sort of Ghost style) for sentimentality and tears, and you have
the formula for Casper.
This film should really be restricted
viewing for anyone over 10 years of age. This, of course, would
also include Casper himself, who is 12.
Don't get me wrong. Despite a script with some pretty awful
attempts at humor, kids will probably have a good laugh at this
one. The computer animation is definitely fun to watch; in fact,
I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from the ghosts whenever
they appeared. Of course, the fact that there wasn't much acting
to speak of also meant that there was nothing to compete with the
animated subjects. This made concentrating on the FX all the
easier.
Visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren (from Industrial
Light & Magic) would like us to believe otherwise: "Five shots
in, you'll forget you're seeing a special effect." Two years of
work and 28 trillion bytes (the equivalent of 19 million floppy
discs) produce 40 minutes (half the film) of "ghostliness" on
screen which prove otherwise. As a result, this is the only
interesting element of the film. One potentially comparable
aspect is the story line, which is almost as thin as the ghosts.
Some appartitions are different than others, however. Please
notice that the ghostly Mama has decided to make her reappearance
both human-like as well as garbed in a bright red dress, not
quite Robert Altman style. Casper is also given a special moment
and allowed to be almost "fleshie"-like so he can dance (albeit
in mid-air) with heroine Kat. I guess not all ghosts are created
equal.
And as for family values? After all, this is a family film.
Let's not forget the valuable words of wisdom that Mama shares
with Papa (regarding their young daughter Kat) before she
disappears forever into that distant place where spirits go when
they've "finished" all their "business" on earth: "Don't pick
up the extension when she's on the phone, french fries are not
a breakfast food, and don't ask her to wear a T-shirt under her
bathing suit." Excuse me, please, I think I have to vomit.
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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