Haunted Lighthouse

My Wife and I took our 7 yr old Son to this show at Sea World, San Diego. He really enjoyed it as did my Wife and I. People need to realize that this was a 30 minute version designed mainly for kids and the family as a whole. It was very entertaining as well as keeping you on the edge of your seat wandering when the next special effect was coming to surprise you and make you jump. The effects themselves as well as the time it must have taken just to design this 3D version must have been extensive. Just the planning alone probably took months. Though I must agree that the story line is quite short, we must all admit that the attention span of Children isn't that long either.

I applaud Sea World and the makers of this 3D adapted version for a job well done and look forward to more of the same.

While this isn't terrible, I think the main problem is it's too short. There could've been a whole lot more backstory built into every one these characters, and the end result would've been more satisfying. Even another 15 minutes would help. There are a couple of loose ends I'd like to see tied up--how does Bobby Edner's character cast a shadow on the beach, anyway? Not only backstory, but in the "present day" there should've been more for each character to do. Every performer seems only to be barely scratching the surface of his/her role, and the whole thing could've been a whole lot more fun. Maybe this long version could've even been protracted to 2 installments (there's an idea--keep people coming back!) Not only that, but with Christopher Lloyd & Leah Thompson (who share more screen time here than they did in the entire BTTF trilogy), I kept expecting a McFly, Tannen or DeLorean to show up at any second!

Please understand that this movie was created mainly for kids. Sometimes, kids appreciate fantasy movies more than adults do. Perhaps the adult has lost part of that imagination he/she used to possessed as a kid. I liked this movie and I am sure a lot of kids would like it too. I recommend it if you are going to Sea World or Disneyland where they show it in 4-D.

This is a TERRIBLE film. Joe Dante should be ashamed of himself. The lighting is awful and the acting is bad. The story is also very disappointing. Any one of the old R.L. Stine TV show scripts from the 80's/90's would have been better than this. Also, Rachel Hunter is listed in the credits, but she does not appear in any version of this film that I have seen. The 3-D effects are very poorly executed, and are very predictable. Also, this movie, at about half an hour, is much too long for a theme park presentation. Did anyone mention to the film-makers that one of the most important things about a 3-D movie is to make sure to use maximum light in your image?

The only thing haunted about "Haunted Lighthouse" was the fact that about 30 minutes of my life has now passed on and I will be forever reminded about how I cannot ever get it back.

The "Spy Kids" series, Warner Bros. cartoons, and the Muppets constantly show that you can do family entertainment that will appeal to everyone and avoid heavy shipments of cheese.

I would say the writing was primarily what was at fault here. I've never read any of R.L. Stine's books but I am familiar with the genres the author deals with (early teen thrillers). I can't get on the actors here too much. The kids were.. well.. not every kid can be Haley Joel Osment.

The adults were primarily Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean since Lea Thompson only had a scant two or three lines and Weird Al was mainly scenery for while he was present. Lloyd and McKean did performances that were right on par with what the film was supposed to be. The problem was the material they were given to work with wasn't up to par with them.

The 3-D effects featured were well done and the '4-D' interactions (water spraying, buzzing vibrations from the seats, wind blowing, etc) were pretty effective. It's just a shame that the entire package that was delivered could not compare to the wrapping that encased it.

For anyone visiting Busch Gardens I recommend seeing it once (because I think every flick they have in the Globe should be viewed at least that many times) but similar to their "Auction at Castle O'Sullivan" in Ireland... once is more than enough for "Haunted Lighthouse".

Neat idea, needed more of a plot than what was likely enscribed on the back of a napkin in 5 minutes by the author.