Not as good as it should have been.

Rating: Null/10 (3 September 2000)

Having missed Sleepy Hollow on the big screen I looked forward with delight to viewing it on DVD. What I saw left me smile, if a little sadly. Visually, Sleepy Hollow is a thing of rare beauty, perfectly capturing the gothic creepiness of the classic tale while oozing the macabre lushness for which Tim Burton is famous. What disappoints is the story. This should not have been a problem considering the screenstory and screenplay were brought to us by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, The Game). What really bugged me about the story was the ultimate motive of the eventual villain. Money and revenge, normally noble motives for murder and death, seemed distinctly out of sorts with the gothic nature of the story. I for one was expecting something much less cut and dry, something more in fitting with the magical nature of the Horseman.
Another aspect of the story that did not seem to sit right was Ichabod Crane's all too hasty acceptance of a supernatural headless killer. Crane begins the story as a determined detective armed with firm scientific ideals and a disbelief of anything magical. Too quickly does Crane disown these principles in favour of a more open attitude. It would have been much more satisfying if Crane's internal struggle between the rational and the supernatural had lasted just a bit longer.
One thing worth commenting upon that definitely got the thumbs up was the costume selection for the female cast. One word: CLEAVAGE. Cleavage is cool. Good acting and stuff too. It's a rather good movie that should have been better.