Thoroughly disappointing...

Rating: Null/10 (20 November 1999)

Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" is a beautifully directed piece that suffers greatly from entirely too much plot. Burton's other films, like "Edward Scissorhands", "Nightmare Before Christmas", "Ed Wood", etc., worked wonderfully off of very simple themes. "Sleepy Hollow" could have been Burton's masterpiece if only it had followed suit. Instead, the film is bogged down by an overly elaborate, yet painfully dull plot involving a range of characters that could have been more interestingly utilized. On top of that, the most intriguing character in the film, the Headless Horseman, is barely developed. The film might as well be about murder and deceit in a small farming village in the early 19th century, and the Horseman serves no other purpose than as a henchman for the these people. So, what's the point of him appearing in the film at all? I certainly would have much rather seen Tim Burton focus on the phantom Headless Horseman and his nemesis, the pragmatist sleuth, Ichibod Crane.
However, it is hard to discount the entire movie simply for its inane plot. Of course, the acting, cinematography, and score work beautifully together, as you can always expect from the holy union of Burton, Depp, and Elfman. So, if you're a Burton fan, you should at least enjoy this movie on a few levels, but you'll most likely be thoroughly disappointed by the whole.