I saw Haunted Mansion 2023

I'm a fan of the Disney/Rob Minkoff (2003) Haunted Mansion: you know, the one with Eddie Murphy and Terence Stamp, plus Jennifer Tilly and Nathaniel Parker as the otherworldly Madame Leota and Master Edward Gracey, in a setup that rolls like The Fall of the House of Usher meets The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. I'd have appreciated a direct sequel to that submission, but alas, such wasn't to be. However, a new take on Disney's theme attraction has manifested: a reboot, for the lack of a better term. 

This particular Haunted Mansion, directed by Justin Simien and penned by Katie Dippold, is a cross between The Legend of Hell House and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, with lots of 13 Ghosts (either version) slapped on top. It features Rosario Dawson's Gabbie and Chase Dillon's Travis, her son, who move into a big, old "home" in New Orleans that's (surprise!) plagued by ghosts who refuse to leave. They also wish to keep those who dare enter for their very own. 

Gabbie recruits "experts" to purge the problem: LaKeith Stanfield's Ben Matthias (a heartbroken astrophysicist who's invented a spirit-capturing camera); Danny DeVito's Professor Bruce Davis (who knows the mansion's haunted history); Owen Wilson's Father Trent (allegedly skilled in the fine art of exorcism); and Tiffany Haddish's psychic Harriet (a harbinger of vast abilities, despite her family's ridicule). They're anxious people with their hearts in the right place, but due to the taunting, spectral ensemble (each member pulled from Disney's park-lore and refashioned via smoky CGI) in over their heads.

Jamie Lee Curtis is the lead, guest-starring, virtuous ghost, the neo Madame Leota, and she gets lots of mileage from the supporting role, as she advises from a crystal ball. J.R. Adduci is the neo Gracey (as heartbroken as our poor Ben), with Jared Leto as "The Hatbox Ghost," Alistair Crump, who's pretty damn creepy and the inside instigator of the plot's plight. (Winona Ryder offsets the mysterious interaction, as a guide for Crump's alternate mansion, giving the sojourn a little Beetlejuice kick; and Schitt's Creek's Dan Levy does a swell job channeling Charles Nelson Reilly for some welcome, Ghost and Mrs. Muir levity.) 

The movie drives home the necessity of coexistence, no matter our differences or emanations, and perhaps along the way, the courage to accept our flaws and overcome our doubts to make it through life ... and death. Each of the investigators, despite their admirable distinctions, craves redemption from past trials and with such, validation. In a way, Gabby and Travis are in the same disconcerting boat, hoping to gain their cozy niche when others have already claimed it. (For current Disney, this chink-in-the-armor approach is refreshing, considering its recent penchant for monotonous Mary Sues.)

I can only say what others have said about Haunted Mansion 2023. It's an even-tempered, throwback, family flick and should excel as such, but do families go to theaters these days? It seems a rare occurrence, and so, how might that impact the studio's second stab at an old standard? Despite the odds against its box-office success (and the lingering stain of Disney's patronizing missteps), I hope this particular effort prospers, not because it's any sort of stupendous game changer, but rather that it's the humble antithesis.