Burton plays it quite straight here, creating a dark, impeccably moody, almost painterly genre piece. In Depp's Ichabod Crane and Ricci's Katrina it has two archetypal Burton protagonists, and they're surrounded by a host of suitable supporting actors, not to mention a wonderful, gothically wracked landscape; the story gallops forward, and if there are no real surprises, well, it's still an enjoyable and sometimes strikingly spectacular ride.
(w/ M @ ACMI - last time I saw it was when it came out, in '99)
