Not Irving's Story

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2009)

I am a great fan of Washington Irving's classic scary story, but I was surprised to see that it was being made into a full-length movie, because the actual book is under 150 pages. Watching it, I expected to see a timid, superstitious schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane. However, I am displeased to find it is a constable sent from New York to investigate murders. This is simply laughable. Johnny Depp's performance was mediocre; it was simply Jack Sparrow in 17th century New York. However, this movie did have some good parts. First off, the setting and set creation was extraordinary. The eerily creepy Sleepy Hollow was exactly the way Washington Irving imagined it. The costumes were great. And although I do hate Kevin Yagher for ruining the plot of the story, the dialogue was believable and well-written. Tim Burton did not disappoint with his direction, although some scenes could have been better. All in all, if you are a fan of the book, you will not be seeing the original story. Just a terrible rip-off involving a legendary character, the Headless Horseman (who looked incredible).