Exquisitely crafted. But don't look for substance.

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2005)

I'm continually disappointed with Tim Burton. In my opinion, his best work is behind him. After a promising slew of films in the late '80s and early '90s, from Pee Wee's Big Adventure to Edward Scissorhands (and, to a lesser extent, The Nightmare Before Christmas - which he didn't direct), it's all been downhill from there. Granted, "Ed Wood" was an interesting, if slow-moving pet project which boasted knockout performances from Johnny Depp and Martin Landau. But fast-forward to 2005. It's been a busy year for Burton, with two films released within a period of less than 4 months. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was a visually impressive (that becomes a given with all of Burton's films), but ultimately unsatisfying experience. With the promise of a stop-motion follow up to The Nightmare Before Christmas, the disappointment of "Charlie" could be overlooked. However, "Corpse Bride" is another brilliant exercise in style, that falls short in the substance category. The story is far from engaging, the pace is slow, and Danny Elfman's musical infusions fall flat. As an aside, Danny Elfman has paralleled Burton in his downward spiral - when was the last great Danny Elfman score you heard? For me, it would inevitably be the memorable score and songs from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." And that is where "Corpse Bride" disappoints the most. It pales in comparison to the former. The characterizations are dull, the plot is nonexistent, and the music is derivative (again on Danny Elfman's case -he's recycled an Oompa Loompa tune here, as if we wouldn't notice!). That isn't to say that the film isn't watchable, or well-crafted (the animation is painstakingly realized through the analog magic of stop-motion). But from Burton, we've come to expect more. Mr. Burton - it's time to turn off the auto pilot, and deliver something you promised us over a decade ago.