I've decided to follow in the oh-so-large footsteps of one illustrious Chris Kiser aka The Kize and post a few reviews of movies, shows, comic books, and the occasional Xbox game that I find myself obsessing over.
Be warned: a great many spoilers lie ahead.
Today's morsel of goodness/badness is Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Ever since I saw the trailer for this movie, I have been beside myself in gleeful anticipation. In 1993, Tim Burton brightened the world of film with a little jewel called The Nightmare Before Christmas. A gloriously dark and romantic tale filled with the most memorable songs and characters, it took the world of stop-motion animation to new levels and firmly entrenched itself in my heart in the process.
That being said, I am having the most difficult time keeping myself from comparing Corpse Bride to NMBC; with the decade plus that had passed between the two movies, I expected an enormous improvement in animation style, and a thought-provoking storyline, both charming and melancholy in the way that only Tim can achieve. When the endless previews finally gave way to the opening credits, my heart thrilled for a repeat experience of the one I felt with NMBC. I suppose that was the perfect set-up for my fall into a slowly growing disappointment.
Tim surpassed my expectations for cinematographic and artistic beauty. It had the entrancing dark tones of his other movies (namely, Batman, Sleepy Hollow, Vincent, and NMBC), and an epic quietness that seeped into my soul. Now, you might be thinking, 'Hey H, you just employed a confusing oxymoron there. What gives?' Yes, gentle reader, your double-take was deserved; I said 'epic quietness' and epic quietness was what I meant. For example, when Victor finds himself in Victoria's main hall all alone, the camera then pans to reveal the sole piece of furniture: the grand piano. After moving the vase of flowers on top of the piano, he sits down to play. What happens next is so subtle, yet so grand in scope; as Victor plays, the music and cinematography unites to present the understated beauty of Victor's playing but the actual movements of the camera reveal its grandeur, the incredible importance of this moment of solitary creativity and beauty in the midst of a world of darkness. When Victoria sees it, we the reader witness this moment with her and are equally moved. This movie is filled with these quietly momentous scenes that swell your heart. Additionally, the marked contrast between the worlds of the living and the dead fully illustrate Tim's emphasis on the dread qualities of life as compared with the excitement and limitless potential of fantasy and the unknown.
On further reflection, the visual perfection of the movie does not fully compensate for the somewhat unfulfilling storyline. While I did love the characters of Victor (another great Johnny Depp role in which he fully merges with the character and truly makes it unique), Victoria (the lovely Emily Watson), Finis (aka the excellent Albert Finney - get the pun on the name, haha!), and especially, the lovable Corpse Bride herself, Emily, all of them PUT TOGETHER did not equal the charismatic power of Jack Skellington. Jack, who in my oh so humble opinion is one of the greatest characters in all film, has one of the most complex and wonderful personalities; we ache with him when he yearns for something beyond the absolute power he already holds (that very notion that he DOES ache for something beyond himself enriches his very being in our eyes) and we thrill with him when he finds something that will fill his heart with newness and joy again. Add that to the sweetness and perseverance of the hopeful and loving Sally, the devious possessiveness of Dr. Finkelstein, and the uniqueness of every other member of a very large cast of characters, throw in a dash of perfect plotline, mix it with a wonderful soundtrack and excellent singing by the incomparable Danny Elfman, and you have a movie for the ages.
Yes, that digression drew me into the wonderful realm of fuzzy happiness and us waaay off topic. I do, however, think that may be part of my point. I truly liked Corpse Bride. I even think I liked it enough to see it again in the theatres. But am I going back to see it again because I simply can't go another minute without the company of those characters? Or am I really going to give it another chance, to see if those elements that disappointed me will seem any better with a second viewing. Sadly, I think its the latter. I'm sorry, but the French Headwaiter ain't no Oogie Boogie.
Ultimately, the movie suffers from a plot that never fully realizes itself. Its great up until the moment that Victor marries Emily, the Corpse Bride, after which he is taken to jam with the skeletons in the underworld. While this is all fun and dandy, we could have seen less visual gags with bones and brains and eyeballs falling out and could have been treated to a greater depth of plot. As for the plot itself, it nearly turns into a kidnapping plot rather than a marriage plot, where Victor works his way back to the upper world, only to be taken right back to where he was before, all the while thoroughly confusing his intended, Victoria. The greater problem asserts itself: once he accidentally marries Emily, where can they go next? He either accepts her, at which point Victoria HAS no further purpose, or he rushes back to a dead-looking world to a fiancee he doesnt even know, which doesn't make much sense considering how horribly the "Upper" World is portrayed. The motivations for the characters actions don't fall into place as they do so wonderfully in Tim's other movies. One character that suffered from lack of proper development was the "villain", the Baron Idontrememberhisname who murders (or does he hire someone?) the Corpse Bride for her money. He then tries to marry Victoria for the same purpose, but if money is his only gain, why on earth does he threaten her after she tells him that she's impoverished? Lack of realistic motivation leads for poorly formed plot points and an end result totally lacking in vraisemblance.
While there must necessarily be obstacles, these particular ones made the movie feel like it was spinning in circles, searching for something to do with the two main characters. The best moment between Emily and Victor centers around yet another piano, a motif which Mr. Burton uses to poignant effect. Its the start of a real bond between the two of them. After spending so much time on their relationship, one cant help but question the reasoning behind Victor ending up with Victoria at the film's end. Perhaps that's Tim's intention...to show that they were both worthy of love and of a better life than what they had. That would fit in with what Tim has said was one of his goals for the film: not to show the Lightness in death, but the darkness and unpredictability of Life. I wished, as many others have in various internet communities, that the movie needed to be a little longer, since it seemed to pick up real speed at the end. Unfortunately, NMBC was the same length, and achieved greater unity of plot, depth of character motivation, and had actually fit the mold of a musical, unlike CB which couldn't figure out whether it was a musical or not. It's no Nightmare, but perhaps it shouldn't be judged as such.
Bottom Line: while visually perfect in its muted colors, symbolic motifs and brilliant in its choice of voice actors, the Corpse Bride ultimately falls short of my possibly astronomically high expectations. Grade: B+
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