Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Atmosphere is king here. It rules over the town of Sleepy Hollow with frightening control. There is never a sunny day in this burg, and fog is ever present. The perfect setting for a ghost story.

Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane, a detective investigating the decapitations of several Sleepy Hollow residents. He is a fairly good actor when paired with Tim Burton. This is their 3rd movie together, and their best. Edward Scissorhands was too bizarre and Ed Wood was too depressing.

Tim Burton's sense of humor escapes me. He said he put humor in this movie but where it is I don't know. Although Ichabod Crane's mother has some nice breasts, I did not see the point of the flashbacks. Sure, sure they were supposed to add depth to Ichabod's character, but they just slowed down the movie and made me think "what the hell was that"?

The headless horseman is very ominous and scary. Jack-o'-lanterns are everywhere. This could easily become a traditional Halloween favorite. But I guessed who the real villain was not even halfway through the movie.

A movie based on an incredibly familiar book should, in my opinion, be a little more faithful to the author's story. That said, this is NOT Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow. Tim Burton makes many changes and not for the better. Not to say that this film is not entertaining; it just won't win any prizes from literary purists.

The setting and mood, a Burton trademark, rule this movie and it is quite exquisite to view. Johnny Depp does a good job as the mild-mannered Ichabod.

This movie is too uneven. It is not really scary enough to be a horror film and not gripping enough or funny enough to be anything else. The pacing, as Eric pointed out, is rather sluggish.

Still a movie this easy on the eyes can't be all bad.

I have to admit, before I begin my review, that I have never forgiven Tim Burton for what he did to Batman. Let that reflect on my review however it will.

As Eric and Patrick both pointed out, the atmosphere of the movie is very, very good and is, in actuality, the star of this film. Which is good, because there isn't a whole lot else going on here.

Johnny Depp, an underrated actor in my opinion, does a fairly good job in his role, but there isn't much for him to work with. And Christina Ricci, a seeming natural for a Tim Burton film, seems as out of place here as her blonde hair does.

I can't say I was disappointed in this movie, because I wasn't expecting very much. And in this sense, the movie fulfilled my expectations.