Sleepy Hollow Review
In the past, Tim Burton has taken cinema by storm with the action packed Batman, and the hilarious Ed Wood, but lately his films just don't cut it. Sleepy Hollow has some unique features, but the script is a terrible mess. For those who remember Disney's fantastic "Adventures Of Ichabod Crane", it is actually superior to this. Disney's version was at least interesting, while Burton's film drags on far too long, without any suspense or frights. While the stories are similar, the new version adds too much to the once likable story, and throws in some weak dialogue to top it off. Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is now apparently a constable, who was sent to New York to investigate suspicious murders. The victims are headless, and no traces of evidence were found, until the murderer reveals himself, hence the headless horseman. Now with the help of Christina Ricci and an orphaned boy, they must stop the headless horseman from a killing spree, that could destroy the whole town of Sleepy Hollow. Sure the headless horseman is an intriguing character, but the story has so many holes that even he nor Depp can save this disaster. In the original, the headless horseman was meant to be unstoppable. No one could stop him, not even Ichabod. By the end of the film, it had audiences in deep thought. Burton however concentrates far too much on the atmosphere, and how to make the main characters heroes. He takes no risk what so ever, and this is where he fails. Another pathetic element of the film was the script. Like I said earlier, he just stuffed too much in at one time, and made it look real sloppy, kind of like the mess the headless horseman made with his victims. He completely butchered the story to pieces. Thankfully there are a few factors that I particularly liked. The acting by Depp was quite notable. He took the nerdy character of the cartoon, and simply acted it out in a better manner. If it wasn't for his quirky one-liners, I doubt I could have remained awake, because quite frankly I was getting sleepy. Just when I thought Christina Ricci was getting to be a good actress, she winds up doing this. It just goes to show no actress or actor can pass up a big blockbuster. It's too tempting to let go, even if the script is mush. The atmosphere too was quite involving. I should have just gazed at the sets, and the eerie fog, rather than actually pay attention to what was going on. At least Burton's films are eye candy, even if they are trash. The only real scenes of value were the tree full of heads, and the fight between the horseman, Depp and Casper Van Dien. Other than that, I wish I could just fast forward through all the gaping holes in the film, and just sit back and stare at the scenery. By the end, I can only think back and laugh at how bad Sleepy Hollow developed. This is the biggest disappointment of the year, especially when such a talented director like Burton handles a project like this. Don't waste your time or money, because your head will feel hollow. Grade: D+
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