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Disneys newHaunted Mansionis a hot mess, but its a sporadically entertaining one.
(Its the second such attempt, actually.
A tepid Eddie Murphy vehicle was made back in 2003.)
Thats a lot to ask of any film.
Its amazing that anything inHaunted Mansionworks, even if most of it doesnt.
At first, the melancholy charisma of LaKeith Stanfield might not seem like an ideal fit for such material.
Now, he half-heartedly leads ghost tour guides around New Orleans, which used to be her job.
(As she notes in their opening scene together, theyre both trying to see the unseen.)
Stanfield and Wilson in particular make a fun comic duo.
Sometimes theres a jump scare.
Sometimes theres a joke.
Most of the time, theres nothing.
The wasted potential here is enough to make you scream.
Alas, theres not enough of that, either.
Maybe Simien and Dippold pulled back of their own accord.
Either way, its a mistake: The movie has no core.
Without characters to care for,Haunted Mansionis just a bunch of stuff.
