Masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2005)

This must be Tim Burton's masterpiece - an amazing portrayal of father / son relationships brought forward by a series of metaphors, which ends up quite surprisingly. After watching the film, I bought the novel and was (gasp!) disappointed by it. The novel is drier, a lot more realistic, and colder in its approach. Burton's movie is a lot warmer, funnier, exaggerated, and poignant. I watched this movie with my father - it was a most moving experience.
Tim Burton's style is quite a feast for the eyes, too. Combining a fantasy story with his strange, eerie vision makes the whole movie a feast for the eyes; the metaphors, combined with surrealistic settings that never seem to fit quite right in reality are fantastic. I'd find it hard to choose between this movie and "Nightmare Before Christmas"...