The Corpse Bride (2005)

From the morbid imagination of Director Tim Burton comes another funny, touching, out-of-this-world story. The Corpse Bride is an amusing tale of Victor Van Dort (voice and facial features of Johnny Depp), the ever-shy, perpetually-clumsy and nervous-as-hell fiance of Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), and a bride-in-waiting until death becomes her, Emily (Helena Bonham Carter).

The plot is simple enough for even dead people (oops! pardon the expression, didn't mean to be rude) to understand: one nouveau riche family (the Van Dorts) wants to marry off their only son, Victor to a royally-bankrupt, pretentious, scheming family's (the Everglots) daughter, Victoria, so the latter could pay off their debts and get out of famine's way. All would have been well had not the young Victor, because of his over-zealousness and excitement at seeing his beautiful bride for first time, committed terrible blunders during the wedding practice. Out of embarrassment, he ran away into the forest and there tried to correct the mistakes he had done by practicing the words he should have said at the rehearsal.

As fate would have it, as soon as he perfected the formula words and as soon as he slipped the wedding ring into what he thought was a twig, a voice said: "I do." A corpse dressed in wedding gown rose up and pursued him for a wedding kiss. Victor woke up in an abode of the dead. Everyone, including his new "wife", Emily, was happy except the poor Victor who desperately wanted to go back to the land of the living so he could marry Emily.


Meanwhile, the treacherous and cunning Count Barkis was hatching a plan to usurp Victoria from Victor. He presented himself to Victoria's parents as a rich and willing bachelor, ever-ready to marry Victoria and give her wealth beyond compare. Naturally, the greedy Everglots jumped at the idea. They arranged Victoria to wed the Count. Victor learned of Emily's sad story and Victoria's planned wedding to the Count. He devised a plan to go up once more by consummating his marriage with Emily on a church.

WARNING: SPOILER AT THE END!

The twist at the end of the story is (how shall I say it? ... heart-warming. Victor was willing to die for Emily (after all his heart is dead the moment Victoria marries Barkis). But true love, sacrifice and sweet vengeance step in to reunite real lovers and unmask the impostor and defiler of women. Barkis was the bethrothed of Emily who left her for dead after taking away with him her entire dowry.
Quotable Quotes:

Emily: I was a bride. My dreams were taken from me. But now - now I've stolen them from someone else. I love you, Victor, but you are not mine.
Barkis: Can a heart still break after it's stopped beating?