LogFAQs > #924210251

Inviso - This movie was just weird, wacky fun. It was like Men in Black meets Ghostbusters, but not in the R.I.P.D. way. Michael J. Fox is good at playing a slightly-quirky slightly-antihero kind of character, and it shows. I appreciate the fact that this film takes a hard turn really quickly. Were introduced to Foxs character as a psychic conman (who ironically is using genuine psychic powers to con people), and yeah, he pulls a couple cons with his ghost buddies early on, but after hes introduced to the movies female lead, the film takes a DARK fucking turn, and I LOVE it. Suddenly, crazy-ass Jake Busey is back as a ghost, continuing his serial killing spree, and hes killing people to conveniently paint Fox as a serial killer.

Things go off the rails at that point, as the movie just gets goofy. Ghosts fight the grim reaper, some caricature characters show up as murder fodder, and then were introduced to the batshit crazy FBI agent, whose malfunction is never quite explained. All of this is great, but it gets even better when the movie pulls a reverse twist (that is, the ending is so obvious that you go into it expecting a twist or subversion, making it a twist in and of itself). The chaos of the endgame is great. Really, the only drawback is just how threadbare the plot is. Nothing is explained all that well, and there arent a lot of quality character arc conclusions. So yeah, fun movie, but fun is all really.

Charon - This goofy film probably wasn't the sendoff from film lead that Fox deserved, but his charms are still present and carry the movie to at least some level of respectability. The story is mostly carried by Fox, whom I always find it hard to hate in anything he does. He's good here as a sneaky conartist, but one that's actually honest in a way too. It has a very Ghostbusters feel to it in the delivery, and despite some dark things happening the world never feels terribly threatening even with the "reaper" on the loose. The character of Dammers was interesting and reminded me of a sort of evil Monk impersonation, if you can impersonate a character that was yet to exist I guess. It's decent, watchable and all.

KBM - A decent but ultimately somewhat forgettable film from Peter Jackson's pre-Lord of the Rings days, The Frighteners is a workmanlike, goofy movie that gets bogged down by its overlong runtime, hit-or-miss gags, and ghost effects that are among Jackson's more dated work. As a swan song for Michael J. Fox's movie career, it definitely leaves something to be desired, though he still manages to inject some of his trademark charisma into the proceedings, and the movie does get some mileage out of its talented supporting cast (particularly the ever-entertaining Jeffrey Combs).

Johnbobb - I can't tell what kind of audience this is designed for. It's like a horror comedy, but the comedy is weirdly juvenile and slapstick for how dark the movie is. There are a lot of interesting concepts here, and surprisingly decent effects for the time, AND I want to give it a small bonus for having Michael J. Fox, who is just always fun to watch. But even then, the movie's not great, and is ultimately made worse by the drastically inconsistent tone.

Genny - I love Michael J. Fox, but not enough to worship the ground he walks on and films like The Frighteners serve as records that no one has a flawless filmography. Between the cheesy effects, acting and dialogue I was certain my lactose intolerance would end me by its conclusion. 4.5/10
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