 Movie
Reviews
with Evelyn Gough
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (PG)
Victor's bride wasn't impressed with his renditon of Dead Man Walking...
Directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
I could watch Johnny Depp in anything; the guy is a dream boat and a fantastic actor to boot! Rather surprisingly what we haven't had the privilege of hearing him in is an animated feature, but all that has changed thanks to Depp's favourite director Tim Burton.
The director, who in my opinion is the most imaginative in Hollywood, has produced another fantasy masterpiece, this time a stop motion animation titled Tim Burton's Corpse Bride.
Starring the voices of Depp and a bevy of Britain's finest actors such as Christopher Lee, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney and Tracey Ullman, it is the story of a sensitive young man called Victor (Johnny Depp), the son of wealthy fish merchants.
He is betrothed to Victoria (Emily Watson), a partnership designed to save her aristocratic family from the poorhouse.
When Victor is unable to remember his vows during the wedding rehearsal he runs off in despair to the forest where he finds himself married! To a corpse bride (Helena Bonham-Carter)!
The underworld is a far more colourful and exciting place than the dingy, uptight Victorian village that Victor comes from but he misses his other bride - the one who still has a pulse!
Only problem is Victoria has now been promised to a mysterious lord (Richard E Grant). What a dilemma!
We've come to expect a great deal from big screen animated features with filmmakers no longer pandering just to the kiddies. Today we expect and receive films that are not only picture perfect, they're chock-a-block full of jokes and clever dialogue, most of which goes straight over the littlies' heads.
And that's where Tim Burton's Corpse Bride differs. It's a beautiful, poignant fable with only a smattering of humour and Burton makes no apologies for this. He wasn't trying to make a hilarious comedy. Instead he's produced a magical, dreamlike fairytale full of colourful characters, with a wonderful score and songs from musical genius Danny Elfman.
It's a visual delight which will cast a spell over the young and the young-at-heart.
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