Review of Casper

Introduction

This 1995 production cost some $55 million to make and production value oozes from it`s every pore. Shot over 6 months exclusively on Universal sound stages, it`s one of Hollywood`s more successful attempts at combining live action with sophisticated and imaginative CGI animation.

It`s a fun movie that ambitiously takes American cartoon favourite, Casper the friendly ghost, and pumps up the action across a fun filled 90 minutes. Unlike many less successful adaptations (Rocky and Bullwinkle, Inspector Gadget, George of the Jungle etc) this one really works. It`s a wonderful movie for kids, pre-teens, teens and fully-grown adults. It somehow manages to sensitively touch on the serious issues of death and love without ever patronising or losing its innate sense of fun. Children will love the action - and adults will appreciate the wry, laconic humour that`s laced throughout its amusing screenplay.

Essentially it`s a simple enough tale. Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a `ghost therapist`, is hired by rich heiress Carrigan (Cathy Moriaty) and her villainous side-kick (Eric Idle), to exorcise an inherited mansion of troublesome ghosts. It would appear that there is some treasure hidden in the old house and Carrigan is ruthlessly determined to get at it whatever the cost. The house itself is occupied by three troublesome ghosts (Fatso, Stinkie and Stretch) who are intent on keeping any `fleshies` away. Their little nephew Casper, who shares the abode, has other ideas though and it`s not long until all the pieces are set for a romping good movie. Dr. Harvey arrives with sassy daughter Kat (played by 14 year old Cristina Ricci) and they proceed to win the ghosts over - as well as unveiling the sinister plot to destroy the house and get at the hidden treasure. Along the way there`s plenty of time for anarchic humour, romance, pathos - and a healthy dose of block-busting adventure. The casting works well. Bill Pullman makes a great Dad and therapist, if a bit sub-Robin Williams. The voice choice for Casper is perfect, and even Eric Idle, the only Brit in the pack, looks like he`s having a lot of fun. There are fleeting cameos from Clint Eastwood, Dan Ackroyd and Mel Gibson in a momentary morphing moment. But the star of the show is Cristina Ricci as Kat - cool, sassy and courageous, she`s a great role model here for pre-teen and teenage girls. My two (aged 8 and 11) thoroughly enjoyed this film, and Cristina Ricci had a lot to do with that. Of course this isn`t a film free from flaws. Some of the script may stretch your willingness to completely suspend disbelief but it`s worth reminding yourself that this is a film primarily for kids. The fact that there is much here for adults to enjoy too should be seen as a bonus that is very often missing from movies of this type.

Video

A pristine transfer that shows off the movie to good effect. There are many shades of black and grey to the film, and contrast is often minimal, but the transfer is impressive.

Audio

Whether you go for Dolby, or indulge in the cinematic DTS mix - you`ll give your speaker system a really good work out. Full of crashes, bangs and shrieks, this movie is as good a way as any to test out the limits of your sound system. Great stuff!

Features

This disc is brimming with extras - should you need them. There`s a full audio commentary from Director Brad Silberling and this is quite informative for those amongst you who feel it necessary to de-construct and dissect every moment of the movie. Generally I find these a little tedious, but the movie is so full of effects and action that there is much to learn from this 90 minute time investment. For those that want a little more, also included is a 45 minute `making of` documentary entitled `Revealing Casper` which is interesting enough on the same grounds as above. Also included is a `deleted scene` - de rigueur these days on `special edition` releases. Generally these are a pointless exercise, adding nothing to the enjoyment of the final movie. Who wants to read the bits an author deemed unsuitable for the final take? (Directors cut excluded from this rant of course!). However - this time it`s not only forgivable, it`s almost lovable, because the deleted scene was never fully realised due to financial constraint. You can view this scene in one of three ways - as an original animators guide movie (a rough take on how it might look, created as a guide for the animators, including hand held ghost dolls being `flown` around set); as the final scene but without animations (i.e. just live action reacting to where the animations might have been if ever the scene were completed) or, best of all, the two in tandem, perfectly synchronised, so that your imagination can do the work in picturing what might have been! Also included are several language options, subtitles, and a series of `fun extras` including a couple of games that can be played with the remote, and some PC based applications on DVD-Rom that crashed my machine twice, but appeared to include some kind of Halloween game and some screensavers. In short - whatta lotta extras!

Conclusion

Rarely has the combination of live action and sophisticated animation worked together so well. `Casper` represents one of the more successful screen adaptations of popular cartoon characters and this big budget production really has a lot of style, sensitivity and humour. With Spielberg in the back room as Executive Producer and advisor throughout, this film had the necessary funding and resource to realise it with some panache. But budget doesn`t guarantee success and there`s no doubt that this film has a personality all of it`s own. Pullman and Ricci are dynamite together, and the humour is of a high standard throughout. It`s a shame that the franchise was let down on the `straight to video` sequels that followed but don`t let that detract you from grabbing a copy of this, the first and finest of the set. Whilst some of the narrative is beyond far-fetched, every moment has been imaginatively constructed and on the whole the zaniness and improbability is forgivable. Thoroughly recommended as a first class, extremely enjoyable family movie!