Review of Sleepy Hollow

Introduction

Having been tempted by the trailers for Sleepy Hollow ever since I first saw one months ago in the cinema, I noticed it was availble in Blackstar`s video amnesty so bit the bullet and bought myself a copy.

Video

The film is a typical Tim Burton production - very dark, grey, misty and atmospheric - some of these elements are troublesome on DVD, but not here. The picture is transferred in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and is flawless throughout. There`s not much colour in the film, but plenty of detail in the sets which are beautifully recreated on your screen.

Audio

Excellent - despite the disappointment of the Region 2 version not appearing with a DTS soundtrack.

Sound is naturally Dolby Digital 5.1 and good use has been made of all channels. The scenes of the Headless Horseman thundering through the forest on his mount are particlarly impressive - I was sitting in the dark watching this film and it was almost as if there was a horse in my room!

Dialogue is clear and well directed throught.

Features

A good set of extras here - director`s commentary, two featurettes - one basically a series of interviews cut into the trailer which includes some major sucking up to fellow members of the cast and crew, the other a longer documentary covering many aspects of the making of the film.

There are also trailers, a still image gallery, talent files, scene selection and some good menus.

Conclusion

Well, despite the hype, this is no horror film - more like a kid`s adventure with added decapitation but suprisingly little blood. However, it`s enjoyable, very well filmed with excellent locations and well acted.

Johnny Depp is fantastic and plays his role exquisitely, Christina Ricci show us that she has come a long way from the Addams Family and Casper and can do well in "real" roles - something many child stars fail miserably at. The rest of the cast is equally good - Miranda Richardson is superb and all round there`s no bad performances to detract from the film.

Picture and sound are top-notch and there`s a good set of extras.

Overall, this film was not quite what I was expecting (horror/gore/blood etc!) having seen the trailer, but nonetheless enjoyable and a worthy addition to my growing collection.