Dark Shadows (2012)

Good movie but grossly overrated

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection. For years Tim Burton has been one of my favorite Movie Directors and how couldn't he be? The man made Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) he is a serious mastermind. But the last couple of years he has a tough time with his fans and his films quite fail in general the same goes for star Johnny Depp. Now Dark Shadows (2012) personally i found it a pretty good dark/Gothic comedy about a Vampire that was cursed to live forever and his only love was taken away from him. Plus there's nothing hotter than a blonde Eva Green and once again she proves of how great of an actress she really is, Depp is also great as Barnabas Collins he is funny, smart and scary when he wants to be and he won't let anyone hurt the family's name. Michelle Pfeiffer is also great as usual and it's good to see her in a Burton movie again, Chloë Grace Moretz plays the angry teen that is mad with the World and she of course does a pretty cool job. And for once again it wouldn't be a Tim Burton movie without Helena Bonham Carter right? There's also great cameos by Alice Cooper and the late Christopher Lee and i really loved the explosion in the Factory with the Red Fire it looked pretty cool. It might not be the cup of tea for some people and i totally get it plus it's comedy might not be for some but it's definitely a good film plus there's a great reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and even Batman Returns (1992). If you like goth, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp you might actually enjoy this film besides it's definitely better than Big Eyes!!

To start off, I am a huge fan of the original TV show and have been all my life. When I heard that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were going to be involved with a big screen remake of it I didn't know quite what to expect. I knew it probably wouldn't be as good as the original because remakes rarely are but I was willing to give it a chance anyways. The trailer came out and I wasn't too crazy about the comedy angle they were seeming to take the story, as the original show was always very serious. Since it's very low budget sometimes the special effects weren't exactly realistic, and they couldn't edit out the mistakes so whatever blooper happened went into the show. Many people laugh at the original show for those reasons, but it was never intentionally funny. So to me, it felt odd that the movie was choosing to go that route. But since it's Dark Shadows related I felt like I had to see it and so I did.Overall, it is a pretty fun movie. It's very entertaining and I liked the crazy, over the top personalities. I also enjoyed the 1970s atmosphere in general. All of the music and costumes are very good and really help it to feel like the '70s. I also must say that the scenery, camera-work, and use of color are all beautiful. The cast themselves weren't too bad, it just seems like Johnny Depp and Eva Green were the only ones given much to do. The movie seems like the plot was all over the place and not very focused. It was like they were trying to shove a year's worth of episodes of the original series into a 2 hour running time so it seemed like overkill. The plot seemed to be going in 100 different directions all at once. Many of the characters seemed like they were going to be important early on only to be dropped. If you aren't a fan of the original show you may wonder why some of the characters are in the movie at all. But for what they were given to work with, none of the cast members did too bad of a job. I also like that 4 people from the original cast were given a cameo, though I do wish they were more substantial. Kathryn Leigh Scott is the only one with a line of dialogue. I suppose they didn't have to put them in the movie at all so 5 seconds of screen time is better than 0.Although I do enjoy the movie it seemed like it was never quite sure what kind of movie it wanted to be. At times it seemed like it wanted to be Gothic, supernatural horror like the original show. But then in the next scene it decided it wanted to be a happy, cute comedy movie. It was never quite one or the other. I saw Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow after this movie and it was a pretty good Gothic horror film. It only made this movie all the more disappointing to know that Tim CAN make a decent Gothic horror movie with a spooky, supernatural atmosphere. He just chose not to this time. But watching his adaptation of Sleepy Hollow made me sad because I thought it felt like exactly what this film should've been. This movie is more of a parody of the original show like Young Frankenstein to the Frankenstein movies or Repossessed to The Exorcist.So while this movie is amusing as its own thing, it isn't a good adaptation of Dark Shadows at all. House of Dark Shadows (1970) and Night of Dark Shadows (1971) are much better and everything I want from a Dark Shadows movie. Whereas the 1991 revival series is everything I could want from a remake. It is also much better than this movie. Overall, I'd give this movie a 6/10. I do enjoy watching it and watch it every year along with House and Night of Dark Shadows as a trilogy. So while I do think it's a pretty amusing and entertaining film I still can't help but acknowledge the flaws and see it as a missed opportunity.

Seeing this made me wonder why Tim Burton and/or Johnny Depp ever thought this would work as campy comedy. It totally doesn't. Not that my liking the TV show kept me from being open to other approaches to the material. I guess it takes a special kind of person to laugh at a "comedy" that features lots of bright red blood on the screen. And I guess I'm not one of them. Michelle Pfeiffer is wasted too. And she seems like someone who should have known better. The total of enjoyable moments clocked in at under 10 for me. An opening scene set on a cliffside, and a nice song by Alice Cooper that sounded great on the theater speakers. I barely even like or listen to Alice Cooper anymore. The fact that his appearance was the most enjoyable part lets you know how little I liked this.

The Collins family moved to Maine in the 1750s and prospered until Barnabas Collins spurns the advances of Angelique Bouchard… a witch who curses him and his family. She causes the death of Barnabas's parents then causes his true love Josette DuPres to throw herself off a cliff. Barnabas tries to end his own life but the curse causes him to become a vampire. The townspeople place him in a coffin and bury him. Almost two centuries later, in 1972, construction workers dig him up and he returns home. He finds that the curse is still affecting the remaining members of his family who have fallen on hard times. He is determined to help them return to their rightful place in society but Angelique is still around and she is still determined to make Barnabas suffer.When I watched this film I'd not even heard of the original TV show so didn't have too much idea what to expect beyond what it said on the DVD's case. I think having no preconceived ideas may have helped as I rather enjoyed it. Johnny Depp does a fine job as Barnabas; he isn't too scary for younger viewers even when killing various people. These deaths aren't dwelt on and are filmed in a way that makes them almost comic. The rest of the cast are pretty good too; notably Eva Green who plays Angelique, a character that is both seductive as well as unpleasant; Helena Bonham Carter is delightfully over the top as the family psychiatrist; Michelle Pfeiffer does a good job as family matriarch Elizabeth and Chloë Grace Moretz impresses as her teenage daughter Carolyn. Bella Heathcote also impresses as Victoria Winters, the apparently normal young woman who serves to introduce us to the family by moving in as the new governess… although it is clear that she isn't quite what she seems. The idea of a strange family living in an imposing mansion will inevitably remind many viewers of 'The Addams Family' but this bunch are distinctly more dysfunctional. The '70s setting provided a good excuse for a retro soundtrack and even a cameo from singer Alice Cooper which was all rather fun. Overall I rather enjoyed this even if the final confrontation was a bit too much of a cliché. While it isn't a must see film I'd recommend it to fans of director Tim Burton or of any of the main cast.