Subtler than normal

Rating: 9/10 (2 February 2004)

First up, I'll admit to being a huge Tim Burton fan - I even liked Planet of the Apes - so I had high expectations of this film. Some of the reviews I'd read in the UK press worried me a little, but seeing the film made me remember that critics know nothing - or at least they do when it comes to films I'm going to enjoy.
Without going into the plot (there are 250 or so before me who've done that) this is a visually understated but still typical Burton film. It's done with more subtlety than we may expect, but there is still a lot to see and enjoy while the story unfolds. And Ewan MacGregor has a thoroughly great tiem, and brings real energy and fun to his role, which it needs as the centrepiece of some very tall tales indeed.