 | Corpse Bride Director: Tim Burton & Mike Johnson Rated: PG Now screening  Tim Burton's love affair with the stop-motion animation medium, which began with the brilliant short film 'Vincent', brings us to his latest offering 'Corpse Bride'. Based on a 19th Century Russian folktale, 'Corpse Bride' is the story of a young man, Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp), who is forced into marriage to Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson) by his parents and future in-laws. Victor, nervous about the impending marriage flees into the woods and... (cutting the story short so as not to ruin the fun)... ends up marrying a corpse (Helena Bonham-Carter). This most bizarre love triangle plays out in true Burton fashion, with the Underworld and its inhabitants indubitably stealing the show from its mortal players.Unfortunately, I think I was expecting too much from 'Corpse Bride' and left the cinema feeling a little dispirited. The plot moves at a lively pace but did not have enough depth to engage me. And while Burton's films are always such a visual feast, due to his own uncanny eye and excellent choice in art directors, the stark, minimalist, gray world of the living suffocates the vibrant, party atmosphere of the Underworld. Yes, I do see the irony there, but there just wasn't enough time dedicated to show the Underworld in all its exquisite glory. That said, the film is extraordinary in its use of stop-motion, the intricacy of which is only hinted at in its predecessor, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'. As opposed to the previous techniques of replaceable heads or mouths (as were used in 'Nightmare...' and 'Wallace and Gromit' respectively), miniature clockwork devices were used to produce the subtle nuances of emotion in the characters' faces. The effect is alarming and the character's portray emotions far beyond any of those produced by CGI and is comparable to the Henson Workshop's astounding work on films such as 'Labyrinth'. Credit must also go to long-time Burton collaborator Danny Elfman for providing a rousing score, almost on par with his work on 'Nightmare...' (well, let's be fair: he'd be hard-pressed to top that success). He also gets a gong for his performance as Underworld band leader 'Bonejangles', who also makes a nod to Disney's (Burton's former employer) 1929 classic 'The Skeleton Dance' in one mesmerising musical number. As I write this review, I am also thinking of when I will be able to catch another session of 'Corpse Bride' just so I can disprove all of my faults with the film. It's a shame we can't print follow-up reviews.  | |
The latest issue available now!     |
All content copyright dB Magazine