Ahoy, squirts! Quint here to present our Planet Houston based geek in arms, Nordling, who has sneaked a peak at Tim Burton's CORPSE BRIDE. Unlike the last few reviews from Toronto, Nord seemed to love the film out and out. I'm dying (pun intended) to see this flick! That "Bone Jangles" Elfman musical number they showed at Comic-Con was awesome! Here's Nordling!
Hey all, Nordling here.
Tim Burton's NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS was an instant classic on release 12 years ago, and since then a generation has grown up on the story of Jack Skellington. I always loved the film - it's beautiful, Danny Elfman's songs are memorable, and the characters stick with you. It's a little uneven towards the end, but it doesn't ruin the film in any way, and it's got a lot of heart.
12 years later, Tim Burton's second foray into stop-motion animation, CORPSE BRIDE, is even better, precious and wonderful. There's genuine magic in it.
Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) is about to marry Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). The Everglots (Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney) are penniless, and they need this marriage to happen before they're thrown out on the street. Victor and Victoria, obviously, are more than a little distraught at marrying someone they haven't even met before, but their families think it's for the best. A day early, a mysterious stranger arrives for the pending nuptials. His name is Sir Barkis Bittern (Richard Grant) and he follows the proceedings closely.
Victor likes Victoria once he meets her, but that doesn't mean he's ready for marriage. After Victor continues to stumble through the wedding vows during rehearsal, Pastor Galswells (Christopher Lee, who steals the movie) sends Victor away to get them right. As Victor practices in the forest, he puts his ring on a tree branch and says his vows. Instantly the branch closes, and the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham-Carter) rises from her grave. It seems that now Victor is betrothed to a murdered bride, who takes him to the world of the dead. It seems like Victor's got some explaining to do if he wants to set things right. But who will Victor choose, the living Victoria or Emily the Corpse Bride?
Burton's visuals have always been amazing, and it's the same here. While the living world - "upstairs" as the dead call it - is drab and cold, the world of the dead is popping with color. The skeletons that populate that world reminded me a lot of Mexican Day of the Dead dolls. There's a great dance number that's genius as the story of the Corpse Bride is told. It's sung by Danny Elfman as Bonejangles, and like NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Elfman wrote all the music and songs for the film. It's his best score in years and it's nice to see Elfman return to this genre. The characters all look terrific. I especially liked Albert Finney's Mr. Everglot, a dwarf of a man whose face looks broken when he tries to smile. The film's voiceovers are terrific as well. Depp gives his usual great performance here, playing a man much like his Ichabod Crane, but who is more assertive.
You can always tell when Tim Burton's heart is in a project as opposed to some hire-on work like PLANET OF THE APES, and this film's full of Burton. There's a wonderful moment towards the end of the film when the dead return to the world of the living, and just when you think it borders on cliche, it goes entirely against expectations. The film flows very well and I never felt it drag. The story is also surprisingly adult for an animated cartoon. None of the characters are written just for he next joke and it's obvious that Burton cares deeply for these people, living and dead. I found myself very moved by the story and the characters. It's also very, very funny, with many of the best lines given to a maggot that lives in the Corpse Bride's head. Note to parents - I took my 7 year old daughter and she was never frightened. The dead are never meant to be scary and almost always played for a sight gag. The film's rated PG and I think that's appropriate.
For Burton fans, there's films on the level of NIGHTMARE and ED WOOD, and then there's his more routine fare. This is one of his best films, one to cherish and love. Imagine a British Alec Guinness Ealing comedy done by Rankin-Bass and you're pretty close to the mark. CORPSE BRIDE is one of the best films of the year. Take the family and enjoy.
