This film was mediocre...

Rating: 4/10 (28 September 2005)

Let me start with what was good about this film. It was visually beautiful, as was already evident in the previews. The music was stirring and fun, as is to be expected from Danny Elfman. And, of course, the overall feel was delightfully morbid. Everything I expected.
The problems begin with how cheap and predictable the story was. I knew the entire story about a half-hour in. Really, the opening was quite gripping, and then after that it felt forced. "Forced" is the perfect word, too. It was like they were trying so hard to recreate the success of Nightmare Before Christmas that they lost the inspiration which made that movie great. The other gigantic problem was that there was only one 3-dimensional character in the whole movie. That was, of course, the title character, Emily. She was interesting. Both Victor (the main character) and Victoria (the love interest) were (though rather nice people) completely lacking in depth. They were so 2-D I had a very difficult time relating to either of them. Perhaps if the film had been a bit longer (It was only 76 mins), there could have been more time dedicated to character development. Outside of the three principles, every single character wasn't a character at all but a one-dimensional characterization. I was just plain bored with all the characters in this film.
Regardless of how visually appealing a film is, what makes a film great is an engrossing story. Great stories transport us to other places, into the heads of interesting people, and they teach us things about ourselves and the world. The Nightmare Before Christmas was one such story. It was groundbreaking and beautiful, that's why it captured our attention. But it was a really great story, and that's why it captured our hearts. This film was not such a story.
All in all, this film's worth a rental, or a viewing at your local theatre. But it's got no value after you've seen it once. Tim Burton has very much let me down. That's three films he's added to my crap-list, now (this, along with Batman Returns and Planet of the Apes).