A Visually Well-Done Film, With Minor Flaws

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2000)

Sleepy Hollow is a visually well-produced film, with an interesting plot, and good-enough acting that leaves us with memorable characters.
Burton's visuals are, as usual, very good. Visuals of snow reminded me of the snow in Edward Scissorhands, and the warped landscape reminded me very much of the sets in Beetlejuice. His attention to detail, while not perfect (the "millennium" did not arrive in 1800, as Crane expects) was still impressive. The wig hairstyles looked authentic to the time - especially the one on Ferris Bueller's principal's head! - and the Dutch architecture in Sleepy Hollow is appropriate for a Dutch-settled state. The costumes looked elaborate and well-done.
However, the strongly anti-religious tone was a turn off, and inaccurate, since the Puritan manner and doctrine of the town's religious leaders reflect a 1699 view of life, rather than that of 1799. Given how religion is handled, though, the open practice of witchcraft by nearly all of the town's womenfolk is simply not believable, and reeks of P.C..
Otherwise, the plot, though certainly not what Washington Irving wrote, was exciting and a clever interpretation. The dialogue in the beginning scenes of his dealings with the legal system in NYC was poorly written and overly preachy, but did set up Ichabod's visit to Sleepy Hollow.
Depp's acting was very stilted, but that's just what the character requires, and his formal manner was right for the time period of the film. He even brings some humor to the character that I really enjoyed.
The film was not very gory, but did shock me a couple of times, which was good, for this type of film! I would recommend this film to anyone who likes Burton's style of film.