Corpse Bride was excellent, but a bit rushed and noisy.

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2005)

I had high expectations for Corpse Bride, and it fulfilled nearly all of them. Going into the movie, I was aware of its short running length, and to be honest, this did hurt the film overall. Events happen very rapidly, and as a result, don't seem to be very fleshed out. The songs in the movie had great tunes and instrumentals, but more than once, I felt like I couldn't "hear" the words, because they came too quickly and too loud.
The movie may have been billed slightly wrong, too, because it's much much more of a love story than a horror tale. I wouldn't see the movie unless you're okay with romantic comedies, because that is a big part of what Corpse Bride is. Some of the dead jokes get irritating after a while (there's so many of them) but overall they help keep the tone light and funny throughout.
A major redeeming feature of the movie was the visuals. The stop-motion photography the film uses makes literally every scene a spectacle by itself. The Corpse Bride is oddly compelling, because she's deadly beautiful and moves with a strange grace throughout. She's a rotting corpse, but somehow Tim Burton made her lovely.
Overall, I would recommend Corpse Bride, perhaps not for children (it isn't a kids fairy tale), but definitely for someone who enjoys the visual style as well as dark romantic comedies in general. Corpse Bride is just fun to watch, and the tunes (even though too loud at times) will keep you tapping. A very good movie and well worth seeing.