Review of We Have a Ghost, a comedy about ghosts and family

Christopher Landon, director known for purposeful horror films like “Freaky” or “Happy Death Day,” premiere “we have a ghost”a story that shifts between horror, comedy, and wild action alongside an engaging ensemble cast that, however, is not saved from falling into over-the-top extravagance and abuse of narrative coincidences and terrifying public spaces.

Kevin (Jahi Diallo Winston(to live with his brother and parents in an abandoned house that has been haunted by Ernst’s ghost for more than fifty years)David Harbor). As the days go by, Kevin becomes aware of the paranormal happenings in the house, until he encounters Ernest, who at first pretends to be scary and ferocious, but turns out to be friendly and shy. Upon learning of his existence, his father, Frank (Anthony Mackie) began recording videos of the paranormal phenomenon to try to monetize it on the Internet, which unleashed a wave of media popularity around the family, but also chaos over the dark truth surrounding Ernest’s death.

Undoubtedly We Have a Ghost breaks from the eloquent and striking intentions of Landon imbued in his earlier proposals, but that is not why it is a minor work, rather it has a sparse style, more traditionally, but effective. . in the end. Form prevails over substance: the classic cliché story where a family innocently arrives at an abandoned house and never wonders why they made such an irrational decision, but thanks to the powerful connections they express, each character is nuanced enough to complement the plot.

David Harbor (“Black Widow”) portrays an extraordinary, comic-stricken ghost with a balance of heightened mimicry and more subtle gestures when the narrative calls for it. Plus, the character of Harbor is the driving force behind a story that can be overly predictable, but leads to an adventure that combines comedy and horror touches with irreverent car action and foot chases. This mix provides entertainment despite the rhythmic mismatch.

One of the main issues the film proposes is why people do not rest when they die and become lost souls. It is a pity that this and other issues regarding Death and their offspring have been left unanswered, as they could have worked more powerfully on an emotional and narrative level.

On the other hand, in the sequence that serves as the first cut-off point, when Frank Ernest records and posts the video on the Internet in order to monetize the curiosity, the American director puts on the table the discussion about the content that is consumed in line and of course they are viral. As consumers, do we have the freedom to choose content and thus virality, or are platforms really the ones to choose?

We Have a Ghost has interesting themes, especially because of its director’s great vision, however, it fails to come together fully because of the plot’s inconsistency and simplicity. It’s fun, with good moments if it’s across different genres, but will most likely fade from memory soon.

“Our ghost’ is now available at Netflix.