The Great Ghost Rescue (2011)

Young Humphrey is a ghost with a big problem. He and his family, the Craggyfords, have been ousted from their home and left without a place to haunt. As they search for new haunting grounds... See full summary »

Director:

Yann Samuell

Writers:

Eva Ibbotson (novel), David Solomons (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Isaacs, Emma Fielding, Georgia Groome

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Isaacs	...	Narrator (voice)
Emma Fielding	...	Mabel
Georgia Groome	...	Winifred
Toby Hall	...	Humphrey
Otto Farrant	...	Barnabus
Stephen Churchett	...	The Head Master
Kevin McKidd	...	Hamish
Bob Goody	...	Master Wraith
David Schaal	...	Builder
Bill Ward	...	Lord Alfred Seymour
Anthony Head	...	Prime Minister
Steven Mackintosh	...	Brad / Barnabus
Ben Forster	...	Mr Burnley
Akbar Kurtha	...	Doctor
Christian Contreras	...	Antonius

Storyline

Young Humphrey is a ghost with a big problem. He and his family, the Craggyfords, have been ousted from their home and left without a place to haunt. As they search for new haunting grounds they soon discover that they are not alone. Ghosts from all over the world have been exorcised from their dwellings, with dark castles and ancient buildings being destroyed by the living, and turned into shopping centers. With time running out, Humphrey digs deep inside, and decides to help save his family and the rest of the haunting community by scaring his way to victory.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | 

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Horror

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Did You Know?

Quotes

Dan Burnley: This is my Wii.
Humphrey: What's a Wii? Is it like a woo?
Dan Burnley: I don't know. What's a woo?

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Soundtracks

C'est si bon
Music by Henri Betti
French lyrics by André Hornez
English lyrics by Jerry Seelen
Performed by Graffiti6

User Reviews

Pity Kevin McKidd

THE GREAT GHOST RESCUE is a pitifully poor British children's fantasy film that mars a long and great tradition. Ghosts have long been a standby of British children's entertainment, with stuff like MOONDIAL and THE GHOST OF GREVILLE LODGE getting up to all kinds of effective spooky shenanigans. Whereas this recent film merely copies the Hollywood look and style without having character of its own. It doesn't even feel British.

The storyline is about a group of ghosts who are evicted from their stately home and focused to go wandering the country, seeking refuge. A squad of ghostbusters are hot on their tail. This is merely a CGI fuelled adventure which obviously riffs on the likes of HARRY POTTER and copies the style of the ghosts from those films. The addition of a bad CGI belching skull is probably the nadir of the movie. It would seem to me that the target audience of this film is roughly five years of age.

Indeed, below-average CGI appears to be the order of the day in this film, because otherwise the jokes are very weak and the plot non-existent. I felt particularly sorry for Kevin McKidd, having seen him waste his considerable talents in the likes of this and PERCY JACKSON; anyone who's seen ROME will know he's capable of much, much more. Otherwise, THE GREAT GHOST RESCUE is saddled with an insufferable child lead, cameos from familiar faces, and a whole lot of seen-it-all-before tiredness going on.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Das Geheimnis der Geister von Craggyford

Filming Locations:

Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Films Collective, Lipsync Productions, Premiere Picture

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min (DVD)

Color:

Color