Paramount Pictures, Rated R
Directed by Tim Burton
Written by Kevin Yagher & Andrew Kevin Walker from the book by Washington Irving
Screenplay by Andrew Kevin Walker

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a famous story and an even more famous Disney cartoon, seems a natural for director Tim Burton. And so it is finally that he has released his own version of it. Burton's trademarks are all over the place here yet he can also be applauded for his restraint.
The story, of course, involves Ichabod Crane (Burton favorite Johnny Depp), this time an investigator looking into mysterious deaths in which people's heads go missing. Crane suspects that the killer is a man but most in the town of Sleepy Hollow believe it to be the Headless Horseman, including Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), the daughter in the family's home in which he's staying.
The plot is the weak link to this visually stunning film. I can cut the bad dialogue some slack seeing what they are going for but the tired plot really can't be forgiven. The flashbacks involving Depp's mother seem to only be time-filler and an excuse to showcase Burton's girlfriend Lisa Marie (even though she does a good job here) once again. Depp does a great job but the always-wonderful Ricci delivers her least remarkable performance ever here. Still, it's somewhat worth seeing for Burton's visual style but don't go in expecting much more. ** 1/2