Critic Reviews
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Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
A fairy tale with the soul of a rerun.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
It's not clear why Steven Spielberg's Amblin decided to make a live-action entertainment starring the least interesting and most saccharine of all 50s cartoon characters.
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Brian Lowry, Variety
Once the audience has become inured to the wide-eyed protagonist and impressive digitized effects, there's little sense of wonder or awe to be found.
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Wally Hammond, Time Out
The set design, however, merely disguises what is in fact an intimate and likeable picture.
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Caryn James, New York Times
Casper's movie is not the cleverest one around, but its hero may be the most lovable.
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Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
This doesn't usually happen to me, but 15 minutes before the end of Casper I suddenly realized that if I didn't take a deep breath, I was going to start sobbing.
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Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
Never cloying or abundant with cutesy dialogue...
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Polly M. Robertus, Common Sense Media
Haunted house tale not as mild as the cartoons.
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, Film4
Only Ricci, strange gothic child that she is, gets close to shining next to the animation.
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Jane Howdle, Empire Magazine
t's aimed squarely at the tinies, but there is charm enough here to make it bearable for adults too.
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Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
he's a friendly little guy ain't he
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The high-tech animation is completely persuasive; nothing else is.
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Luis Martinez, Cinenganos
Nice kid's story. Good efects. Who would say that this innocent girl will become a sensual actrees...
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A hollow and garish echo of the sweet little ghost.
Read all 14 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Brad Silberling's film adaptation Of Casper the ghost - cartoon is harmless, entertaining and actually quite atmospheric at times. There is nothing that special in here that would make it nothing more than a ok adaptation, but it stands on its own.
While Bill Pullman is mostly… More
Brad Silberling's film adaptation Of Casper the ghost - cartoon is harmless, entertaining and actually quite atmospheric at times. There is nothing that special in here that would make it nothing more than a ok adaptation, but it stands on its own.
While Bill Pullman is mostly on a autopilot for the whole running of this film, it is Christina Ricci who has the charisma and talent to make us care about the story. There is nice little role from Eric Idle to be seen here but mostly this is not a film of great dialogue or that memorable acting moments. This is a special effects filled journey through a haunted house and the secrets it hides.
While most of the CGI stuff feels dated and even clumsy at times, it still has this innocent old-school feeling around it. This is a well meaning story and it succeeds in entertaining younger and even little older audiences. Film's plot might be quite thin and has honestly many silly moments, and the screeplay is not the strongest element here even remotely.
Yes, it is childish, yes it is a bit all over theplace and yes it does not have that much of a story, but it is entertaining and has some funny moments in it too. Kids will possibly love it and find all that spooky stuff exciting to watch. I myself enjoyed Casper the film surprisingly much as i watched it. I can point out the weak spots in this film but in the end i think that it succeeds in where it is supposed in; to tell an entertaining old fashioned ghost story for the children.
Casper is a film that is produced by Steven Spielberg and there are certain echoes of his in the story and within some elements of the film. This is surprisingly succesfull adaptation.
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Adults should definetely avoid this film, it's often overly dramatic but thankfully never in an annoying manner. It's a light hearted family movie that will entertain the primary audience whilst… More
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Adults should definetely avoid this film, it's often overly dramatic but thankfully never in an annoying manner. It's a light hearted family movie that will entertain the primary audience whilst serving up brilliant performances both live action and voice, particularly Christina Ricci.
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A kids film that made me more scared that happy. Not something you should show kids who believe in ghosts.
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An old fave from childhood, Casper is grown up enough to still be enjoyed. Although as an adult you pick up on themes a lot more than you do as a child, I think Casper has enough depth to keep me putting it in my DVD player for years to come, even if I do so under the pretense of my… More
An old fave from childhood, Casper is grown up enough to still be enjoyed. Although as an adult you pick up on themes a lot more than you do as a child, I think Casper has enough depth to keep me putting it in my DVD player for years to come, even if I do so under the pretense of my child wanting to watch it.
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This was okay, I loved it as a kid, but now its just really cliche, but its not terrible.
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Unforgettable, but nothing special.
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A fun family film based on the Casper the friendly ghost comics. It's a little silly, but overall fun and humorous, and I enjoy it.
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Casper is a terrific family film. The big problem with this film is obviously the language. Despite that fact, it's a fun and quite harmless film to watch. The story is simple, but effects are astounding. I think the reason I like this film is because it's a well made, yet… More
Casper is a terrific family film. The big problem with this film is obviously the language. Despite that fact, it's a fun and quite harmless film to watch. The story is simple, but effects are astounding. I think the reason I like this film is because it's a well made, yet simple film with a good intention. The cast does a decent job, but obviously whats most stunning about this film is the special effects. Considering this was made in 1995, this film is a milestone in special effects. Casper is a fun film to watch that will entertain people of all ages. This isn't a typical kid film, I view this film as a family film. A film that you can watch to revisit the best parts of your childhood, along with The Sandlot, E.T and Toy Story, Casper is one of those films that I loved when I was younger, and still love today because of the fact it's a well written film with charm and feel good moments.
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This is a pretty decent family film, and I like the effects. It's funny, charming, and definitely not boring. It's not completely original, and does fall prey to some comfortable cliches, but it succeeds where it needs to, and that's what really matters.
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LOL I cannt decide which Capser I should add in my Insane Movie list aka my favorite Movies aka InTheBasket. lol
I like the one with Steve Guttenberg as well.
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This is a sweet movie that I thought worked well. The acting was good and we even find out how Casper died. There is a bit of silliness but it works well with the script.
I watched this with my kids and even though they drop the B word a few times I didn't think it was that… More
This is a sweet movie that I thought worked well. The acting was good and we even find out how Casper died. There is a bit of silliness but it works well with the script.
I watched this with my kids and even though they drop the B word a few times I didn't think it was that bad. My 5 year old was into it the whole time and for me that is a sign of a good kids movie.
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Seeing Is Believing and after you see this movie, you'll see that it's a great movie from start to finish. A man (Bill Pullman) who studies the paranormal and is searching for the ghost of his dead wife moves to a haunted mansion with his daughter (Christina Ricci). They… More
Seeing Is Believing and after you see this movie, you'll see that it's a great movie from start to finish. A man (Bill Pullman) who studies the paranormal and is searching for the ghost of his dead wife moves to a haunted mansion with his daughter (Christina Ricci). They soon find a friendly ghost named Casper and three crazy and hilarious ghosts. While there, they both learn a lot of valuable lessons about ghosts and about what they're looking for.
"Casper" is an all around great movie. The ghosts are hilarious and it has a great story and it's very entertaining. The drama and the uplifting parts of the movie don't ruin the movie's overall value at all, they make it better. This is not a movie that is just for kids. If you like great movies, I recommend giving "Casper" a chance. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000.
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you have to love casper really and this film isnt disappointing i dunno why amy brenneman is put at the beginning when she only has a minor roll at the end but its a brilliant film a goood family film
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Brad Silberling has done a lot of directing for various TV episodes and such, but he does also direct movies. In this case, he brings the story of <i>Casper</i> to life in an impressive way. This is one fun film from start to finish.<p>There isn't much to the… More
Brad Silberling has done a lot of directing for various TV episodes and such, but he does also direct movies. In this case, he brings the story of <i>Casper</i> to life in an impressive way. This is one fun film from start to finish.<p>There isn't much to the story, especially in the first half, but this is where it is the most fun. The nicely thought out dialogue and the funny antics of the ghostly trio, Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso, all keep this picture highly entertaining. The second half of this 100 minute film slows down just a bit to get more story going. At this point the ghostly trio are a little less involved and Casper takes the stage.</p><p>The CG is outstanding. I know the ghosts look all cartoony, but this is a childish film. Anyhow, they look great. The voice acting is also spot on. Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, and Brad Garrett match wonderfully to their ghost characters. Malachi Pearson is also a solid Casper.</p><p>All the actors for the human characters are magnificently cast as well. Christina Ricci and Bill Pullman portray a nice father daughter relationship. Cathy Moriarty matches as the evil Carrigan Crittenden and who better than Eric Idle to play her goofy comedic sidekick. There are also a ton of enjoyable cameos in this movie, including Dan Aykroyd as the Ghostbuster Raymond Stantz.</p><p><i>Casper</i> is truly one fun family film, except for a couple occasions where the "B" word comes out of somebody's mouth. Watch this if the opportunity arises.
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Saw this again recently and it holds up pretty well, as does the early CGI. Fun family comedy with a dark edge. Some of the dialogue is atrocious and the plot is full of holes, but hey, sit back and just laugh and enjoy the ride.
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A good all round family film.
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Adorable and moving. Surely we all remember squealing at the Devon Sawa reveal during fifth grade slumber parties.
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Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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