On Thursday, we went to see Tim Burton’s latest oeuvre, Corpse Bride. The movie was good, but there was something missing. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but I think I may have set myself up for a fall.
See, I have a bad habit of reading about films before I see them. The reviews I’ve read for CB were all very positive, and so I went in with high expectations. These hopes, while not dashed, weren’t all met, either. I can’t really put my finger on what was missing, but I know that this film didn’t have the same kind of appeal for me as The Nightmare Before Christmas did. (As he sits there in his Nightmare T‑shirt.)
Maybe it’s just that CB was missing the sense of zany fun that Nightmare possessed. I was looking for a quirky little comedy, and I guess I got a quirky little comedy-drama.
Oh well. Like I said, I enjoyed the film. I didn’t come out of the theatre regretting spending my money on it. It was exceptionally animated, well-written, touching, funny, heartbreaking, and on the whole a satisfying experience. Just… I don’t feel the pressing need to see it again. (Unlike, say, Serenity.)
Snow—gone.
Just in case you were worried I was snowed in, or something.
Invisible Lizard had a fine review of CB, too (I have him on my blogroll, if you’re curious). I thought it was okay. Not great, okay. I wasn’t a real big fan of Nightmare, though. For my money, Beetlejuice is still Burton’s best, or close to it (I liked his Batman movies, too).
Hi This is sinsational.
I went to the movie’s a couple weeks back with my sister. We watched Lord of War, with Nicholas Cage. I didn’t care for it. Corpse Bride was playing at the same time. After readingyour post, kind of wish I’d pushed a little harder to get her to watch that one. She was dead set against it. I saw the nightmare before Christmas and rather enjoyed it.
Cool to see another Canadian on WBBS.
Sin/Rhoda
Hi, Sin. Kind of cool to see another BBSer reading my blog. I see you’ve got an interesting little Hallowe’en challenge going; I may have to sign in.