Beautiful but Predictable

Rating: 7/10 (1 October 2005)

While the design was spectacular, the script was altogether predictable. There are many elements of Tim Burton's former films here, from Vincent to Frankenweenie to Nightmare. It's a bit of a conglomeration of them all. Even some of the characters seem to be reincarnations of others we've seen before. All of that would have been forgiven if the script and characters weren't so stereotypical, like Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, etc. Caroline Thompson's script is simply thin and transparent. The only thing that kept me guessing was how Vincent (Johnny Depp) would "get the girl" in the end. Danny Elfman delivers a great score and good songs, but it isn't enough to lift this film to just above average. It was entertaining, but again, predictable.