 | |  |  | | Media: | HD DVD | | Country: | UK | | Studio: | Warner Home Video | | Cert: | PG | | Discs: | 1 |
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Screen captures are for illustration purposes and may not originate from the item reviewed. | | Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Review| HD DVD review written by Simon Crust, published 13th July 2007 | Supplied for review by  | Corpse Bride is Tim Burton’s second foray into the animation medium. With it he discusses familiar themes of death, redemption and love all wrapped up as an adult kids film. The story concerns one Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) and starts with his arranged marriage to Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson) which, although the pair share an attraction, has a disastrous rehearsal causing Victor to run away. Whilst in the woods outside town he practices his vows on a branch only to find that he has betrothed himself to a dead young girl, the corpse bride, killed before she was wed, who promptly rises from the grave and takes Victor back to the world of the dead. When his attempt to return to the living fails and he discovers that Victoria is to be married to another man, Victor resigns himself to stay in the land of the dead, but in order to do so he must himself die. This prompts the dead to invade the world of the living to conduct the ceremony properly, but once there love and revenge go hand in hand.
Burton has a love of the gothic and the macabre and Corpse Bride has both in swathes. He defines the living and the dead world in stark contrast to the norm, the living being dark, brooding and stiff, the dead being lively, colourful and fun. As if shuffling off this mortal coil resurrects the life and enthuses one’s soul. The films themes are quite dark, murder, death, living dead; but told in such a light hearted way that its intended audience is near oblivious and swept away with the many toe tapping songs. Such is this light hearted approach that the film becomes very infections, coupled with it short run time, it plays out like a fable, never tying to preach but with something interesting to say if you want to look for it. On the kids’ level it is terrific fun, there are distinct lines between good and bad that only become slightly blurred when confused with duty and honour. An early introduction to the pitfalls that live can through at us perhaps?
Burton’s unique style gels well with Pete Kozachik’s cinematography, the pair worked together on A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and here once again produce a visual feast. The stop motion puppets were up to two feet tall, with sets in proportion allowing for some complex camera movements, shot for the first time all digitally makes for an interesting whole. Danny Elfman once again score’s a Burton film and his songs are really quite catchy, especially the Corpse Bride story song, which has some of the most impressive visual style and looks astonishing on the HD format. An enjoyable film for both young and old alike.
Movie score : 7 | | 471 word review written by Simon Crust. |  | To comment on this review, click here and post a reply.
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