The Night Terror of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp Just as in our country there is an urgent need to legally prohibit the filming of remakes of famous Soviet-era paintings that have long become classics, so in the United States it would be time to start fighting with the so-called mokbusters – low-budget films, mostly made for television, but are either remakes, sequels, or prequels of films popular in all countries. Mokbusters use the names of the original in their name, having only small modifications. As another and piercing example: "Return to Sleepy Hollow." A terrible fairy tale, mysticism and thriller was shot by Tim Burton, where Johnny Depp played a great role. But who knew that some "dealers" will take advantage of the great success of "Sleepy Hollow" and turn to the story about the continuation of the clan of Ikebod Crane.
So, a young man named Ian Cranston has a great ability for theatrical roles, donating his talent in sports to them, which is not very like his father. But Ian is relentless, although he has no desire to scandalize and prove his essence to anyone. And then he gets an offer to conduct a night tour of places where strange and mystical things happened. It is clear that these places are the list of the same headless Horseman, who is without words, but to goosebumps from fear and to torpor from his gaze played by Christopher Walken in the original tape. Cranston did not know that he was a descendant of Ikebod, and the Omnipotent again wants to rise from the grave and cut off many more uninvented heads. There's a man who looks like he's gone mad and he keeps telling Ian that he's the only one who can resist the Horseman. He doesn't believe at first and then... And then many will guess what will happen, as they say: “Swimmed, we know.”
“Return to Sleepy Hollow” is, if not for the loud title, an absolutely stupid and uninteresting horror movie in the spirit of youth horror. American teenagers are offered to us no worse than preschool children, when all the warnings do not apply to them, and they do the opposite: if it is said that it is impossible, then it is absolutely necessary. One of them is the one who is stupid but strong. All this is an outright banalism, from which it would be worth getting rid of if there is a desire to somehow stand out, but neither the screenwriter Hans Rodionoff nor the director Kyle Newman did not have enough effort or talent. Why it is even more surprising that the latter was offered the post of chief director in the film, which should play Samuel L. Jackson and Hayley Steinfeld with Jessica Alba. Proprietary so much that just cut the look of the scenery, without the wisdom of makeup and costumes – this will be perceived by many as a desecration of mysticism from Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. And I really do not want to talk about the work of the cameraman Scott Kevan, who, in principle, worked in a good movie, but here his shooting is simply disgusting.
The main role in this mockbuster got Kevin Zegers. In 2006, he was even honored to receive the Chopar company prize as the best young performer at the Cannes Film Festival. Then he was able to be remembered in quite a good youth comedy “Boy in a Girl”, where he composed an excellent tandem with Samair Armstrong. He later drew attention in the chilling "Frozen" (2010). But in 2004, when this parody called "Return to Sleepy Hollow" came out, Zegers was an unknown actor making his way to fame. He clearly has fans (or rather, fans), but to show his talent in “Return...” he could not – the level of the film is not the same, and he was shot clearly in one take to save on the shooting, so that in addition to a pleasant appearance, Zegers will have nothing here. But well remembered Kaylie Cuoco-Suiting, who played a sympathetic character Zegers girl. The glitter wasn't particularly, but at least it wasn't as irritating to fake play as Nick Carter, a minor but important actor. And to become Carter played all the remaining actors. And the Horseman without a head? It's okay, the kids would even laugh.
In general, if you watched “Sleepy Hollow” from Tim Burton and you liked it, then this “miracle” under the loud name “Return to Sleepy Hollow” is diligently avoided, and you will want to kick all the creators of this, let me say, the film.
2 out of 10
P.S.: In the original, this film sounds like “The Hollow”, that is, simply translated as “Hollow”.
