Tim Burton's latest is a 3D high-definition knockout, but completely hollow as a standalone movie....
Buena Vista / 87 Minutes / 2012 / Rated PG / Street Date: January 8, 2013
I suppose somebody with a career as successful as Tim Burton's deserves to spend the bulk of his middle-aged years devoted to vanity projects, but while watching a film like Frankenweenie, it's easy to get the feeling that the thrill is gone. In fact, as this technically proficient yet narratively stillborn piece of retro-nostalgia kitsch plays out, one is left wondering how long it's been since Burton made (dare I say it) a good movie.
I hitch my wagon to Burton in a significant way because for so many of us now in our 30s, he was a working filmmaker who grew up with us. It's easy for those of us old enough to remember how thrilling it was when not only did he get the job directing the first Batman movie, but when it turned out to be a barn-burning success. And then Scissorhands and Ed Wood and Mars Attacks!: Burton's history as a filmmaker is by no means normal, but in the view of major modern moviemaking, it's quite unique.
And with Frankenweenie, he gives the impression of purposely treading water. There's a kid (Charlie Tahan), a dog, a baseball tragedy, the kid bringing the dog back to life, and antics that ensue after this, but one would think that as a feature-length riff off the director's cult-adored short film, Frankenweenie would have more going for it, that Burton would really be trying to say something profound - well, as least as profound as a mad-scientist zombie dog movie can be.
Yet Frankenweenie is a whole lotta nothing. As a high-definition saga, it's a stunner (more on that below), but the movie's distinct lack of heart and verve leave it feeling empty. The fact that an image-crazy artiste like Burton continues to get hundreds of millions of dollars from studios to make any kinds of movies he wants is an irresistible scenario, but if the end results are flicks like Frankenweenie, it's not worth it. I bet if somebody forced Burton to go indie with his next one, his talents for storytelling would kick back into alignment...
