Disappointing. I was really looking forward to this

Rating: 5/10 (27 February 2006)

Tim Burton's career as a filmmaker has been almost bizarre as the subject matter of his movies. He's created some absolute masterpieces that will be remembered as some of cinemas greatest achievements, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas and Batman. But after he made Ed Wood in 1994, something happened to his style. Gone was the mystical, otherworldly glow you got after watching one of his films, which was replaced by a feeling of either short lived glee (Mars Attacks) or utter confusion (Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes) This summers movie season was one everyone eagerly anticipated. We got not one, but TWO Burton movies, both starring Johnny Depp (a winning combination to be sure), and one was a stop motion animated film. Seeing as Nightmare Before Christmas is my favorite movie of all time, i was so excited i nearly wet myself (too much?)but alas, Charlie &TCF came and my friends (all avid Burton fans) and i were thoroughly disappointed at the way Burton just threw bizarreness at us in order to cover up the fact that the story was a travesty to everything Roahl Dahl set out to establish. making Wonka into a big weirdo doesn't add to his charm and mystery, neither does giving him a back story.
but this is a review for corpse bride, isn't it? the movie tries, but unfortunately, its kinda like watching a movie where the director tried to copy Tim Burton's style, except this IS a Tim Burton movie. the plot itself is fine, but there needs to be more character development. were given all these amazing, funny characters and then nothing is ever done with them. their'ye either dropped entirely (what happened to victor's parents"?) or given such terrible lines their role is completely unnecessary (victorias father/ the priest). things only get worse when we descend into the afterlife. part of what made nightmare so great was the townsfolk of Halloween town, who were all given unique personalities, and they all had moments in the film where they got to steal the show. in CB, we get a couple of interesting characters (the best being "Paul,ze Head Waiter!) and then a bunch of wise-cracking skeletons. the only character you ever really feel attached too is Emily, who is a sweet, endearing girl who naiveness and charm makes up for the fact that she is constantly rotting.
The voice work is done well, Johnny Depp isn't given much to work with, but he does well at making Victor into a lovable Wet noodle. Helena Bonham Carter is sweet like a little girl and Albert Finneys voice is so outrageously sour, you wish he had more lines to say. The music is standard Elfman stuff, but the songs!!! MY GOD, WHAT WAS HE THINKING. CB has possibly the most forgettable and unpleasant score in a movie i think i have seen since those strait to video Aladdin movies. I'm sure Albert Finney and Joanna Lumley can hold notes, but why they weren't allowed to is beyond me. the opening song in a musical is supposed to set the mood for the whole movie, "According to Plan" does not accomplish this in the least. The song where Danny Elfman was the skeleton got irritating before it even started. What i want to know is, why does Johnny Depp not get a song, but that *bleeping maggot does! Overall, Corspe Bride really let me down. It was supposed to be Burton return to form, but instead its a tired retread of everything he did in his earlier movies. Yes, we get it. The afterlife is funny and creepy, gross thing intrigue you. We know that now. Give us something new, we know we have it in you Kazz's Rating 5 out of 10 Upon watching this movie, my girlfriend asked me "Is their something wrong with Tim Burton? Like is he sick or something? In the head?" I leave the answer to that question up to you!