Originally a late 1960's/early 1970's supernatural soap opera, Dark Shadows has achieved cult status in America, mainly due to it...
Originally a late 1960's/early 1970's supernatural soap opera, Dark Shadows has achieved cult status in America, mainly due to it's dark and gothic atmosphere and imaginative story lines, which included everything from vampires, to witch craft, to time travel. When a film version of the series was announced, it was no surprise Tim Burton was attached to direct. He's a perfect fit really, dark and gothic being two words he's synonymous with, but while there is a lot to like about his comedic take on the concept, it does fall down in places.
Johnny Depp (marking the eighth time the actor has worked with Burton) plays Barnabas Collins, an 18th century member of a wealthy family. When he breaks the heart of a witch, Angelique (Eva Green), he is cursed with becoming a vampire and is soon buried alive by his spurned lover, aided by horrified towns folk. Waking over two centuries later, Barnabas finds himself in 1972 where his descendants, led by Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), have fallen on hard times. He vows to restore his family name, which brings him into conflict with Angelique once more.
I have to hand it to Burton for sticking with the 70's setting of the original. He could have easily transplanted the concept to modern day, but that would have erased pretty much all of the charm and atmosphere the movie has. Stylistically, it's reminiscent of his earlier work, though never quite matches it. Despite it's supernatural setting and characters, it seems quite grounded which works well. The story moves at a nice pace, but there is quite a few sub plots that don't seem to go anywhere. What's worse is that they scramble to be resolved near the end, leading to an over the top third act that clashes with what came before, adding a character development that, even though resolved later on, comes out of nowhere and just felt tacked on.
Acting wise, Johnny Depp has real fun with how alien this new time is to Barnabas. His mannerism's reminded me of Count Orlock from Nosferatu, and the role is a real homage to old fashioned portrayals of vampires (no sparkly skin in sight). It's a character that will stay with you long after the film has ended, and while I thought his out of time shtick would wear thin quickly, it didn't and provided a lot of the movies laughs. Eva Green also impresses as the evil witch behind the Collin's woes. Angelique is quite a fun character, equal parts crazy and malevolent. The two bounce off each other very well (literally at one point in what is the most acrobatic sex scene I have ever seen), and their scenes together provide some of the movie's highlights. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast suffer from the complexity of the story, especially Pfeiffer and Chloe Moretz, with characters disappearing for long periods of time. It's a pity really as Burton had assembled a very impressive cast for this.
This a very fun film, but suffers from an overabundance of plot with not enough time to really develop it, and not enough focus given to the rest of the cast members. While not one of Burton's best, it is an enjoyable watch.
Johnny Depp (marking the eighth time the actor has worked with Burton) plays Barnabas Collins, an 18th century member of a wealthy family. When he breaks the heart of a witch, Angelique (Eva Green), he is cursed with becoming a vampire and is soon buried alive by his spurned lover, aided by horrified towns folk. Waking over two centuries later, Barnabas finds himself in 1972 where his descendants, led by Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), have fallen on hard times. He vows to restore his family name, which brings him into conflict with Angelique once more.
I have to hand it to Burton for sticking with the 70's setting of the original. He could have easily transplanted the concept to modern day, but that would have erased pretty much all of the charm and atmosphere the movie has. Stylistically, it's reminiscent of his earlier work, though never quite matches it. Despite it's supernatural setting and characters, it seems quite grounded which works well. The story moves at a nice pace, but there is quite a few sub plots that don't seem to go anywhere. What's worse is that they scramble to be resolved near the end, leading to an over the top third act that clashes with what came before, adding a character development that, even though resolved later on, comes out of nowhere and just felt tacked on.
Acting wise, Johnny Depp has real fun with how alien this new time is to Barnabas. His mannerism's reminded me of Count Orlock from Nosferatu, and the role is a real homage to old fashioned portrayals of vampires (no sparkly skin in sight). It's a character that will stay with you long after the film has ended, and while I thought his out of time shtick would wear thin quickly, it didn't and provided a lot of the movies laughs. Eva Green also impresses as the evil witch behind the Collin's woes. Angelique is quite a fun character, equal parts crazy and malevolent. The two bounce off each other very well (literally at one point in what is the most acrobatic sex scene I have ever seen), and their scenes together provide some of the movie's highlights. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast suffer from the complexity of the story, especially Pfeiffer and Chloe Moretz, with characters disappearing for long periods of time. It's a pity really as Burton had assembled a very impressive cast for this.
This a very fun film, but suffers from an overabundance of plot with not enough time to really develop it, and not enough focus given to the rest of the cast members. While not one of Burton's best, it is an enjoyable watch.
