Great special effects and action--dumb script

Rating: 3/10 (1 March 2008)

Well, after seeing this film I would have to say that this is about the worst Tim Burton directed film I have ever seen--mostly because the script is hopeless. The problem seems to be that although a fortune was spent making the town of Sleepy Hollow for the film as well as doing some incredible stunts, no one seemed to have bothered making sure the script was up to snuff. The bottom line is that cool decapitation scenes are not enough to carry this movie and it seems as if the film is designed for undiscriminating audiences.
So what's so bad about the script? Well, it didn't bother me that practically none of the film was based on the original story--after all, that was a short story and it would have made a relatively dull 15 minute movie. No, instead the problem was that the story just seemed to revolve around just action and special effects. So much of the dialog seemed pointless and sloppy. In particular, late in the film, Miranda Richardson goes on a long-winded exposition in order to explain the film--like she was reading from a script in order to explain what had happened to the audience. In addition, there were so many needless story elements--particularly those about Ichabod's childhood that seemed so needlessly antagonistic towards Christianity as well as a strong bent in favor of "white witchcraft". Throw in a silly and pointless meeting with a witch with no eyeballs, 18 decapitations, tons of gratuitous blood and you're left with a film that bears much more resemblance to THE GRUDGE or Friday THE 13TH than THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW!
If you like dumb big budget films or will watch anything that teams Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, then this movie is for you. Otherwise, try any of their other pairings--such as the excellent films CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, CORPSE BRIDE or SWEENEY TODD.