Though directed by stop- motion wizard Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas, re-released here in a satisfyingly unobtrusive 3-D version, stands as a practical demonstration of all that is good and bad in the work of Tim Burton.
The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D ****
Directed by Henry Selick. Voices of Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Paul Reubens PG cert, lim release, 76 min
The gothic master, who sketched the original characters and wrote the story, layers the film with his characteristic visual flair and allows in just the right amount of cruelty to seep in. This is the sort of fairytale atmosphere the Grimm Brothers would appreciate: pessimistic, sombre, unsettling.
That noted, as in most Burton projects, the perilously thin story (the residents of Halloween Town take over Christmas) is somewhat overpowered by the deliciousness of the images. There is always something missing at the heart of his films.
Never mind. The 3-D boffins have done a decent job isolating things to hurl at the audience without turning the picture into a carnival sideshow, and any film that presents a darker riposte to the conventional gooey images of Christmas is always welcome round these parts.
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