Sleepy...

Rating: 6/10 (29 November 1999)

From the early moments, "Sleepy Hollow" grabbed my attention. I was immediately taken in by the story. The dark and somber tone set by Tim Burton in many of his previous films was just as evident in the beginning here. Several elements were working together to create an intriguing movie.
The design was almost perfect. The colors that made up the background were washed out to a near black and white. Like he has done many times before, Burton gave a lifelike appearance to trees, as well as, houses. The eerie look of the forest was picture perfect. A nearly everlasting darkness was captured with excellent cinematography. The story itself was building up and the acting was strong. Johnny Depp produced a great mix of humor, intelligence, and girlish fear. It was the perfect setting for such a terrifying character as the headless horseman. Burton found a way to strike the audience with fear and managed to find time for some dark comedy in between. This was shaping up to be a classic horror film. I could tell I was going to enjoy this film all the way through.
I was wrong.
Everything falls apart in the second half. The story becomes too complicated, although not confusing. The idea of a "conspiracy theory" is not fitting. The movie loses its edge and the mood it sets by turning into an average crowd-pleasing blockbuster. Although it didn't bother me, the horseman chops off about 10 heads too many. I actually enjoyed that and found that rather funny. Christopher Walken is funny in this movie and I'm not making fun of him. Several chase scenes and explosions follow. It doesn't look like a Tim Burton movie after a while. I lost my initial interest and actually found myself thinking about other things while watching the final 20 minutes or so. Whatever is built up in the first half, it's destroyed in the second.
The movie is worth seeing for what it creates in the early stages. The cinematography and settings of this film remain beautiful. Johnny Depp portrays Crane very effectively. However, the story falls apart and reaches a simple resolution filled with explosions. All good elements are drowned out. I just find the second half too disappointing. Overall a 6 out of 10.