We Have a Ghost

It's overly long and goes to some very random places narratively but We Have a Ghost is still a really fun 80s Amblin throwback that has plenty of charming moments and humour that hits more than it misses. It's definitely Christopher Landon's weakest film in a while but thankfully still isn't bad by any means.

The cast are all good in their undemanding roles that require them to go through the usual stereotypes and motions and David Harbour is obviously the standout with the hardest job. He has to be extremely innocent and emotive purely through movement and he pulls it off effortlessly.

Christopher Landon's direction is really good, the film has some fun set pieces combined with the right songs to make them even better and the overall earnesty of the film wins you over by the end. The CG isn't anything spectacular but it's convincing enough and rarely pushes its own limitations.

It seems Netflix are determined to releasing new weekly movies that are mediocre and too long. This easily, just like other Netflix-films like the recent Jason Mamoa films Slumberland and Sweet Girl or the very recent Your place or mine, could have been 90 minutes. I'm confident I would have enjoyed this film much more if it was shorter - now I just feel numb.

Sometimes a light comedy can be just what I crave. It can have medium reviews but in a certain mood, a "medium" film can be perfect. But for two hours? Landons previous films in the Happy Death Day-franchise + Freaky are much more succesful in being enjoyable.

So, the movies "alright".

It's competently directed, acted, and it looks decent. The issue I have is it's waaaaaay long. For what the movie was presented to be, it should've been about and hour and forty five minutes TOPS. With a running time of two hours and six minutes... the film is extremely difficult to get through.

And... the tone is all over the place. Is it a comedy? A drama? A thriller? A mystery? It tried to be all of these things. I've seen a lot of movies on Netflix like this recently. Is it a Netflix thing? Or just something Hollywood is trying on for size. Hopefully they cut the crap because it doesn't work.

The main hero, Kevin, is really likeable. And I appreciate that. Performances are good, but the jumbled mess is not the casts fault. It rests with the filmmakers. Netflix should've advertised this as more of a drama revolving around a family. There ARE funny moments, but the preview makes it seem like this will carry throughout the entirety of the movie and it doesn't.

It's average and gets a higher rating for me because I'm a fan of David Harbour.

This movie was fun, touching, well filmed and a tad bit silly. The mix of mystery and action felt well timed and the pacing made a 2 hr movie feel like a lot less. The story was a fun version of the typical ghost story and the characters were endearing enough to keep you interested until the end. And most of the acting was solid even the over the top roles of the government sector. Anthony Mackey was solid as always. To be fair... David Harbour is my favorite actor, so I may be a bit biased. That being said... he hit this role on the head and did an amazing sell of a script without saying a single word. Enjoyed it for what it is.

From the well-known writer-director Christopher Landon, who has showcased films such as Freaky, Disturbia, Happy Death Day 1, Happy Death Day 2, Scouts Guide to Zombie Apocalypse, Viral, and 5 of the Paranormal Activity films under his belt, comes the supernatural thriller We Have a Ghost. He is the son of the infamous actor Michael Landon who became famous in the 70s through early 90s with Tv series such as Little House on the Prarie, Bonanza, and Highway to Heaven.

Unlike his earlier films that have more intensity and heightened elements of fear and horror, We Have a Ghost is a much more tapered-down version of his somewhat uniquely unhinged style typical with wistful turns.

The story is much similar in spirit to one of the most-known iconic films "Ghost", directed by Jerry Zucker and played by Patrick Swayze and Debbie Moore. Although Jerry Zucker's Ghost is a love story, Christopher Landons' We Have a Ghost is a story of young adults who are struggling with their identities in a brutally judgemental harsh social world, that is instantaneously connected to everyone. And such displays the disparity between the parents who were raised in a world that does not exist today and the children who grow much faster and more maturer than their parents did thus, they feel disconnected and do not understand their parents as well as their reasonings. And they are dealing with a silent Ghost in their house in their own ways.

It is very well-acted, directed, and written. It may not be everyone's cup of tea because the targeted age group is young adults and it is a film that you can be watch with the entire family.