Brilliant, funny, visually glorious, Tim Burton is a genius

Rating: 10/10 (31 October 2005)

Its been 12 years since the director of this piece ventured into the world of stop motion animation with the delightful Nightmare before Christmas. Here again Tim Burton has returned to the subject of the dead and the living with an altogether more Gothic feel and a far more English flavour to the proceedings. I was strongly reminded of the work of Gerald Scarfe rendered in 3D, with wonderfully dramatic sets and great voice actors, adding plenty of depth and humour to the story. A tale of Victor Van Dort who is to marry Victoria Everglot (a sly and selfish arrangement by her wicket parents to save themselves from the poorhouse) but through a mishap while rehearsing his vows ends up betrothed to the lady of the title. Though dark in tone the film is riddled with superb black humour, and a delightful twist with the underworld in glorious colour and the living world cold and grey as are the characters that inhabit it  reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. Excellent fun.