Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
I love Tim Burton. He has the best imagination and is one of the
most creative, and talented directors working today. Rarely does
he disappoint and the Corpse Bride is no exception. Corpse Bride
tells the story of Victor Van Dort (voice of Johnny Depp) a
reluctant groom whose newly rich parents are searching for the
one thing money can't buy - respectability. To reach their goal
they're marrying their son off to Victoria Everglot, (voice of
Emily Watson) a properly bred, well titled young lady whose old,
highly respectable family is flat broke. Through a series of
events and no fault of his own, Victor finds himself married to
the Corpse Bride (voice of Helena Bonham-Carter), a pretty young
woman who died under mysterious circumstances on the eve of her
elopement.
Shot using stop motion animation, a painstakingly slow process
that involves moving models in miniscule increments as you move
from frame to frame, Corpse Bride is a refreshing break from the
now all too common CGI. Not only are the images fun but the cast
of characters from the bodiless bartender at the local hole in
the wall in the land of the dead to the miniature pirate, are a
source of great entertainment and good laughs throughout the
movie. Actually in many ways they steal the show making the main
characters seem a little dull and underwhelming.
Don't get me wrong, dull and underwhelming are relative in this
movie. Johnny Depp's Victor Van Dort is an awkward, gangly, shy
young man. His ineptness is humorous and endearing and you
really hope things work out for him considering the set of
parents he was given. Victoria Everglot is also shy and sweet
and has parents that would make Cinderella's family look like
saints. Their interactions are charming and engaging and to few
for my liking. It would have been nice to see more of them
together as the try to wade through the waters of an arranged
marriage neither is quite ready for.
What doesn't work with Corpse Bride is that the story never
quite gets off the ground. In many ways it felt like it was over
before it began. Just when there is some real action brewing,
we're already headed for the climax and the denouement is soon
there after. An extra half hour of film time wouldn't have hurt.
Also, you can point the villain out as soon as he is introduced.
I know in animated films the good guys are supposed to look good
and the bad guys bad but a little more subtle would have been
nice. Not only was the villain predictable but the ending was as
well. The movie left little in a way of a surprise ending, even
in an animated movie it is nice to be a little surprised.
But those are minor complaints in a movie that was fun,
imaginative and quite entertaining. Corpse Bride is good for the
whole family, although it might be a little scary for kids
younger than nine. So take the family and enjoy.