Poor attempt to cash in on The Nightmare Before Christmas

Rating: 5/10 (16 September 2005)

Just came from this, and I must say there is very little to recommend. The storyline is tissue thin with virtually no character development. Even the naming of the lead characters, (Victor and Victoria) shows a disarming disregard for or lack of imagination. The songs are utterly forgettable and thankfully few and far between. It would seem that given the cash cow that The Nightmare Before Christmas merchandising has become, the powers that be would make sure that this film contained enough highly recognizable characters to plaster on t-shirts, lunch pails, etc., but other than the three leads, the dog and an annoying worm, one would be hard pressed to distinguish one character from another, in fact most of the characters seemed like bland Nightmare Before Xmas rejects. The villain, whose evil plot and purpose is revealed and dismissed in three lines, should have been a memorable, darkly drawn character that young goth chicks would want emblazoned on everything from their backpacks to pantyhose, but instead is like a smarmy Saturday morning cartoon scoundrel. I counted four times when the audience seemed to genuinely laugh out loud, which sort of disqualifies this from being a comedy. There is no drama to speak of, and it could only squeak by at being a musical. Basically, it's a mess, and a sad waste of a great cast.