A Lenda do Cavaleiro Sem Cabeça

Any reservations that I had about the film being be a turkey, were almost immediately quelled upon seeing the movie. From the offset Mr. Depp throws himself into the role of Icabod Crane with enthusiasm and gusto; portraying excellently a man of "science" suddenly out of his depth in legend. Christina Ricci also plays the role of Katrina van Tassel superbly; a sure sign of good things to come from this talented young actress.

I would be reluctant to call this film an outright horror film - the special effects are used primarily to enhance the plot and visual appearence, and the gore level is low. The visual detail is a masterpiece - the sets are fantastic and lighting brilliant. Tim Burton has superbly used music and suspense to build the thrill in the film. However, the comical interjections provide the required break-up of the suspense.

All in all a very well put together film, with solidly good acting, and most of all a superb plot. Well worth seeing!

These days, there aren't a lot of directors working in Hollywood that have a style all their own. Tim Burton is definitely one of them. His brand of quirky, often gothic-inspired filmmaking is ideally suited for a property like "Sleepy Hollow" with its legendary headless horseman.

Based on Washington Irving's classic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", this movie adaptation definitely falls into the category of 'loosely based on'. The iconic Ichabod Crane is here in the form of Johnny Depp but instead of a schoolmaster he's a police constable dispatched from the big city in order to investigate a series of decapitations. I think this was a step in the right direction in refashioning the story for a modern audience. Depp's Crane is still a less than heroic character but his futuristic (at the time) methods of detection make him a more palatable protagonist. However, I think that the script goes too far with the mystery angle by presenting us with an altogether too convoluted plot.

Luckily, a fine cast was put in place to prevent the movie from completely losing its audience. As always, Tim Burton brings out the best in Johnny Depp and here he has no problem carrying the movie. Christina Ricci, on the other hand, seems miscast and fails to leave much of an impression. Instead, it's the fine supporting cast that stands out with the likes of Michael Gambon, Richard Griffiths, Jeffrey Jones & Michael Gough all contributing greatly to the film's atmosphere.

Speaking of atmosphere, this movie is shrouded in a rich gothic atmosphere from beginning to end. The Oscar-winning art direction is exquisite, as are the Oscar-nominated costumes & cinematography. Add in a score by Danny Elfman and you've got a movie that unmistakably bears the imprint of Tim Burton. The only complaint I have is that some of the special effects are a bit cheesy, which may have been intentional.

"Sleepy Hollow" is a movie that does a lot of things right but its effectiveness is crippled by a meandering story that fails to keep you on the edge of your seat. As a horror movie it's fairly tame (despite all of the decapitations) and as a mystery it's not really that satisfying. It's definitely worth watching for fans of Tim Burton but it fails to wring all that it could have out of Washington Irving's template.

Tim Burton has brought this timeless classic to life! "Sleepy Hollow" is a very fine film, with horrific delights, a touch of romance, and witty humor. I was very impressed with the cinematography and the elaborate costumes in this film. Also, the music and sound effects complimented this frightening and legendary story of the murderous Headless Horseman. Overall, I believe this is an excellent film and will definitely be remembered as a landmark in the thriller/horror genre of film.

Tim Burton has done it again. It seems he can't really go wrong; especially when he's paired with Johnny Depp. Sleepy Hollow is the most visually stunning movie I have seen this year. The production is gorgeous in every way; the cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, the set design is incredible and the way Burton uses the color red to accentuate the lack of color and dreariness otherwise experienced in Sleepy Hollow is a visual treat. This movie is just absolutely beautiful to watch. The performances are flawless, I have to commend Burton for using such a great array of underappreciated character actors, such as Jeffrey Jones and Michael Gough.. and even poor little Casper Van Dien; the man just can't seem to get any respect (and he doesn't here either). Ricci is wonderful in a role totally against type, and Depp is refreshing as ever. Christopher Walken is just the coolest guy ever, and as the Headless Horseman he's even scarier than normal. The best thing, though, is Danny Elfman's music. Why on earth doesn't the man have an Oscar yet? What is going on?? He should at least get a nomination for this one.

I just saw Sleepy Hollow in an advanced Preview show in the UK. I went with a couple of mates, all of whom had seen some Tim Burton before but only I was a big fan. I simply love Tim Burton's surreal style of directing and of all the films I've seen of his (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissor Hands, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, etc.) I thought only Mars Attacks! Was less than superb. ESH for example has a superbly innocent atmosphere to it but it extremely dark at times. So now, with the release of a new Tim Burton film (of a story I remember fondly from the old Disney Cartoon of the 50's) I was rather excited to see it! And so, I sat in the darkened cinema at my local Multiplex and was amazed. From the dark and mysterious opening to the more humour-spiked yet no less horrific end this is one of my favourite films ever! I'm a big horror film fan and was so looking forward to seeing what take Tim Burton would have a true horror film. My god, he did well. The look of the piece is both extremely dark and evil (the Horseman kills men, women and children with equal relish) but it retains scenes of beautiful, dreamlike states once again making good use of Mr. Burton's own thoughts and visions. It's a very funny film too. Depp is great as an Englishman (only slipping into American twang in one syllable early on in the movie) who will battle the horseman and inspect headless, beetle filled corpses with gusto but then leap onto a chair, screaming when he sees a spider! Christina Ricci was also very good. Usually, her parts are beautiful yet rather evil characters that look innocent and pure until you look into her eyes…not this time though. She just looks, well, sweet! She's softly spoken, and very caring and that's it, no daggers in the pupils, no sly frowns to the camera. Christopher Walken made the small role he had in the headless horseman (he played him on the few occasions he actually had a head) his own with his usual evil visage and a load of screaming! Plus nastily shaved down teeth. The real masterstroke of this film though, or at least its main bad guy is the use of Ray Park. For those of you who saw Episode One and enjoyed the lightsabre battle at the end, Ray Park was Darth Maul! He brings a very modern look to the fighting, most scenes are fought with a sword in one hand and an axe in the other! Its like a medieval John Woo! But almost every time that he gets hold of a weapon he does some kind of stylish one-handed flip to the sound of wonderfully over-the-top swish sounds! The deaths, most of which decapitations of course, are all seen onscreen in their full, gory glory. Not a single piece of blood escapes the cameras here! The film really does have a lot of blood in it but it's a kind of comic book redder than red blood, which adds to the whole films not quite real feel. The cinematography is once again, from Burton, superb. The vile smog0filled 18th century New York and the Scarecrow at the beginning. My god, the scarecrow, its so evil! Onscreen for a second but its image lasts… But anyway, in short, this is a fantastic film. Burton has never done anything this visually eye-popping before (take a bow Industrial Light & Magic). The plot is both intriguing and whimsical, the acting excellent, it has a cameo from Hammer Horror master Christopher Lee and it boasts one of the most evil, most frightening, most superbly realized supernatural baddies I've ever seen…and I've seen plenty! Go see this film if you like horror or you just want some fast-paced fun… 9 out of 10