Burton reaches a new low

Rating: 1/10 (18 January 2005)

A really unfortunate waste of a film, chock full of contrived, manipulative, false-sentimentality that would almost, but not quite, make Spielberg blush. Okay, that sounds a bit harsh, but this is bland, un-affecting Hollywood tripe. Burton doesn't insult his audience's emotional intelligence to the Spielbergian degree, but nor does he inspire us the way he once did my sharing his unique vision. This film has the emotional subtlety of a jack-hammer and it contains none of the imaginative wonder of 'Beetlejuice' or 'A Nightmare Before Chritmas.' Sadly, this is what Hollywood/Middle Age can do to a former bright light. The kind of movie that guy from 'Good Morning America' would call 'loads of fun' in one of his lobotomized reviews. Skip it. Skip it. Skip it.