Tim
Burton follows up the underrated Mars Attacks with his visually stunning take
on Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow.
Johnny
Depp stars as an intellectual forensics expert sent to investigate a string of
grisly beheadings in a small town outside of New York circa 1799.
As
expected Burton has fashioned a beautiful looking film with lush costumes, huge
sets, wild special effects and a stunning score from Danny Elfman. Most surprising
is an outstanding performance from Depp who exhibits a fun-loving attitude as
well as an excellent sense of comic timing.
The
screenplay was written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven) with some help from Kevin
Yagher (he created the Chucky doll for ChildÕs Play). Unfortunately the
screenplay is not as striking as Burton's directing. That's not to say that it's
bad, but it is disjointed at times and offers a less than stellar climax.
In
the end however, this is Burton's baby and as always, he commands the show and
takes the audience to another world. Although Sleepy Hollow is quite bloody, it
stays on a tongue-in-cheek path and as a result it is a dazzling marvel. Sleepy
Hollow isn't the best film of the year, yet it is one of the best to look at.
