Pure Tim Burton.

Rating: 7/10 (21 June 2008)

Sleepy Hollow is visually stunning, filled with great sets and a perfect mood to capture the horror and creepiness of the situation. Tim Burton is a master of this genre, and he uses his skills with special effects to give some really effective scenes involving the Headless Horseman chasing down people and taking their heads. What is different about Washington Irving's legend is the story. Burton takes the famed character Ichabod Crane, and turns him from a gangly, unsightly school teacher to a mild-mannered, handsome constable who wants to use modern-day techniques to discover murderers and cause of death. Johnny Depp is very good, as usual, playing Crane as a smart intellectual who sometimes lets his fears and emotions get in the way of his work. Christina Ricci is good as well, but looks to be about only 12 here. What doesn't work here, like many of Burton's films, is the story. The opening quarter is very scary and suspenseful and pulls you right in. The last fifteen minutes or so really drop off and don't really take the audience any further. I was expecting a bigger twist here, since this is done by the man who wrote Se7ven. Still, this is a scary thrill-ride that feeds the emotions but not the brain. If only Burton would start doing that, he might be one of the best in Hollywood instead of one of the better.