Casper - Review

I have often talked about going back and reviewing films from my childhood (the late 90's/early 2000's) to see if they still hold up. However, there comes a time where I decide to watch a movie from that generation that I didn't grow up with. I remember watching trailers for this movie on various VHS tapes growing up, but for some reason, I never got around to watching it. I have done this before with a couple of movies that slipped through my childhood. Some are extremely enjoyable and they make me feel like a kid again watching a new movie from that time period (A Goofy Movie, George of the Jungle) or it can make me shrug and not be too upset that I passed it up back then (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids). Casper is one of those movies. Sure, Casper himself is cute and I can understand why little kids like him so much, but for grown 90's kid, it doesn't offer much. Now to be fair, I'm sure I would have loved this movie as a kid. I would have loved the Haunted House set-pieces and just the whole aesthetic of the movie. However, looking at it as a 22-year-old with no nostalgic attachment to it, the jokes are very mediocre and there are three ghosts in particular that are extremely aggravating. The silver lining is that there was effort put into this movie. Insufferable puns aside, the story is a rather clever one for a kids film and it has some good messages for kids. The sad thing is that this movie does not hold up to an adult audience on its own. I keep thinking of a movie like The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan from the late 90's. I truly believe that you don't need to be a kid to enjoy that movie. It's clever, funny, heartwarming and entertaining. Casper, on the other hand, has its moments, but you definitely need to be a kid to enjoy this movie. So, if you are a kid and looking for something spooky to watch this Halloween, then Casper is on Netflix. If you are my age, I'd say skip it.