Could have been a family movie

Rating: 5/10 (16 February 2006)

Tim Burton has made a few adult movies but I fear this one went down the wrong tunnel. For one Sleepy Hollow reminded me of Edward Scissorshands with its snowy landscapes and odd fantastic sets, and of course Depp. That Burton felt the need to add dozens of forced graphic decapitation shots was the only thing that spoilt what could have been a spectacular family movie. The headless horseman was a great concept, but sadly he does little but take off head upon head whilst the rest of the cast figure out what's going on, before he strikes in typically predictable fashion. The climax is a little abrupt and felt a bit comic-like and unrealistic to me (Burtons niche is allowing fantasy films to show realism and convincing story lines without too much ridicule).
Sleepy Hollow isn't too bad a film, it just isn't that good. It feels too empty to encourage watchers to see if they missed anything on a second watch.