My Favorite Burton Film

Rating: 8/10 (15 August 2009)

This is my favorite film by Tim Burton. Why, you might ask? I know a lot of people who worship this man because if films like Nightmare Before Christmas (which, funnily enough, was actually directed by Henry Selick, but produced and co-written by Burton), and Edward Scissorhands, etc. Those are good films, make no mistake. But the protagonists are kinda similar and the aesthetic is virtually the same. Tim Burton movie seem to me to be driven by the aesthetics and art design rather than the characters. not so in this film. There's a warmth exuding from everything, helped along greatly by Ewan McGregor's performance. All the flourishes seem to be driven by the tale and the storyteller, rather than driving them. It also looks very different from other Burton films, with some scenes that even look completely ordinary, something I never expected from a Burton film. The writing and the cast elevated the director, rather than the other way around.