Almost a Review: The Corpse Bride

[mishalak]

As always Tim Burton's latest work is visually beautiful, however the story did not do as much for me. On paper I should have come out of the theater sobbing, "That was so great man," being the sort of big soppy queer who cries every time Bruce Wayne's parents meet their fate in the alleyway. It is a Tim Burton film based on a Ukrainian folktale about a man who accidentally get married to a corpse and the whole thing is full of unrequited love and sacrifice so I should be in love with this film, but I am not. I did not get to know the characters well enough that I was tearing up all over the place and the jazzy numbers that were mainly about showing off what the director can do with those stop action bones did not help either.

I was reminded of a number of Disney's good but not classic movies like The Aristocats or Pete's Dragon. Well maybe not that mediocre, but similar. As a friend pointed out the musical do not move the action forward like they should half the time and none of them aside from the opening number is particularly memorable. Unlike everything in The Nightmare Before Christmas, the movie this is probably going to be most often contrasted with.

What: The Corpse Bride
Playing soon tomorrow as many theaters
Who's if for: Goths with Disney age children and adult fans of Tim Burton.
Who won't like it: People creeped out by dead body humor and hated the original Little Mermaid (though it isn't quite that sad).
Personally: Thumbs Up, barely