 |
|
|
|
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)
 email this review to a friend
Movie Review by Jarrod 
September 23rd, 2005
|  |
Tim Burton is arguably the most creative of filmmakers, and has consistently proven himself as such on several occasions, with Edward Scissorhands, Beetle Juice, Big Fish, Sleepy Hollow, and his best film, Ed Wood. Burton obviously has a great love of the movies, and his passion for the craft is expressed in each and every one of his projects. One could, of course, argue that Burton's characters and worlds are perhaps too strange for a lot of viewers, but the success and recognition he has achieved seems to indicate the contrary. His mainstream features have been disappointing, Batman and Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, and the recent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, all of which made lots of money, but seemed to show Burton compromising his own unique vision.
'Corpse Bride' allows him to return to the wonderfully weird environments he obviously enjoys. This is a follow-up (if one chooses to call it that) to Nightmare Before Christmas, actually directed by Henry Selick, which used stop-motion animation to terrific effect, creating a vibrant, colorful world with wacky (and initially creepy) characters, all of which looked like they were modeled after generic Halloween decorations (skeletons, ghosts, zombies). 'Corpse Bride' doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but it is sweet, affectionate, funny, and absolutely enjoyable.
Johnny Depp is Victor Van Dort, whose parents have recently made a fortune in the fishmongering business. This draws the attention of the scheming Everglots, poor aristocrats looking to find a wealthy husband for their daughter Victoria (Emily Watson). Victor and Victoria actually do find that they love each other, that doesn 't stop Victor from forgetting his wedding vows and running off in embarassment, where he accidentally places a ring on the decomposing finger of Emily (Helena Bonham Carter), the Corpse Bride, whose chances at happiness were destroyed when she murdered, and she nows plans on doing a good job as Victor's wife. He and she travel to the underworld, where their wedding is to be held, celebrated by dancing skeletons and a bone cake. Victoria is quickly fixed up with Barkis (Richard E. Grant) who can give her parents everything they wanted from Victor. Of course, Victoria doesn't deserve any of this, and her feelings are never considered. Victor cannot really be faulted either, because bashfulness is part of his personality, and he cannot easily escape it. And he can't really just dump Emily, who gets a second chance at the love she never experienced.
Burton is apparently a sentimentalist at heart, because there is never a true undercurrent of malice in this movie, despite the rather unflattering portrayals of the selfish parents, and the fact that Victor and Emily take a trip to a place typically filled with evil, nasty creatures. The amazingly fluid, oddly beautiful animation, a wonderful score by Danny Elfman, a clever and heartfelt script, and sensational voice work from a terrific cast of veteran actors make 'Corpse Bride' a real treat for viewers of all ages (though some of the imagery might scare really young children.)
email this review to a friend
Comment on this Review:
Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to reviews.
Join or Login. |
 Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS
|
