Corpse Bride

Corpse Bride
Originally uploaded by Waldie's World.

Well, Tim Burton has again proven himself to be a visionary artist. Tonight, Katie and I, along with some of my friends from work (the Lab Rats, as I will now term us) went and saw Corpse Bride. Burton has done some of my favorite movies, and Nightmare Before Christmas is my all-time favorite movie. But I must confess that Corpse Bride is a stronger film. Funny, stunning, and at times really creepy, the film is completely enjoyable form start to finish. By default, the technological advances of the last 12 – 13 years make the effects in this film top of the line. To think that Corpse Bride (and Nightmare…) are essentially puppet shows boggles the mind. And Corpse Bride wouldn’t work as well outside of that medium, as there is something anachronistic about the style of animation that complements Burton’s surrealist, Victorian worldview that gives this film its edge. It helps create the “otherworldly” context that is vital to this story.

Everything about this movie is a solid artistic accomplishment. The design is superb and I feel the most creative aspect of the film. Nightmare…and all of Burton’s films have his distinctively skewed gothic veneer, but this film is his most brilliant. From the dichotomy of the black/white world of the living and the vibrant color of the Land of the Dead, to the architecture of the set pieces (as there is no more appropriate term for it), the film is a delight. The movements of the characters are fabulous (especially the skeletons), the characterizations themselves great.

Also, this film has some of Danny Elfman’s best work. Again, I love Nightmare..., but the lyrics, the way the music interweaves into the action, and the compositions themselves are some of Elfman’s most consistent and haunting (or lively in the case of Mr. Bonesjangles).

So perhaps this is a little gushing since I have JUST seen the flick, but I have a feeling that repeated viewings of this film will only solidify my sentiments. If I have any criticisms, it is that sometimes the plot was a little obvious. But who cares. I know how Nightmare... ends and it doesn’t stop me from watching it over and over. So see this film. Also, see if you can catch the subtle tribute to a stop-motion pioneer of yesteryear.