Rated 14A for mild horror violence, drug use and sexual content.
Directed by: Tim Burton.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Hayley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote and Alice Cooper.
Dark Shadows is a remake of the 1960's Gothic television series of the same name. Now, I am not familiar with the original show, but this movie took my interest for many reasons. Mainly because it`s Tim Burton returning to his classic Gothic style, and has a pretty awesome cast to add to it. Then the trailer for this movie came out. Instead of looking like the dark Gothic horror film I was expecting, it look like a bizarre goofy comedy, which, to be honest, looked pretty dumb. I decided to give it a chance despite its confusing marketing.
The movie opens in 1772, with Johnny Depp playing the rich and successful Barnabas Collins. Life is great for Barnabas until he pisses off a young lady named Angelique, who also happens to be a witch. She puts a curse on Barnabas, causing his new love to jump off a cliff and die, and for him to turn into a vampire and to be forever cast in the shadows. Jump two centuries later, and young Josette (Bella Heathcote) is on her way to her new job as a teacher for the Collins families youngest child David (Gulliver McGrath). Once she gets there, she is introduced to the bizarre family, sees ghostly images, and………..that`s it. Before you know it Barnabas is back, and the movie completely shifts gears and is now about Barnabas bringing the families fishing business back to fame, when suddenly Angelique comes back and tries to get Barnabas to love her again. From then on we get quirky situations, amusing scenes and bizarrely enough some really dark moment. All this leads to a…spoiler alert…`thrilling` battle between Barnabas and Angelique.
The acting from everyone is solid, Johnny Depp being the clear stand out. Every time he's on screen you can tell he's having a blast, and he creates a very good and likeable character. He`s so good that he completely over shadows everyone else, and he is always the focus. Now, sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't, despite Depp being consistently entertaining, the other characters may as well not exist when he's on screen, because he steals the show. Michelle Pfeiffer and Helena Bonham Carter are good for the time they're given, but they're not really given a whole lot to do, as previously mentioned, they are completely overshadowed by Johnny Depp. Chloe Grace Moretz, as talented as I think she is, is kinda…weird, in this movie. It almost felt as if her character was being sexualized, and considering Moretz is still a teenager…that's just flat out creepy. She has the occasional good line and a semi cool scene at the end (even though it makes no sense), so overall she is good, it's just a little awkward watching her. Eva Green plays the perfect witch. As bizarre as that might sound it's true. She plays off Barnabas very well, and their scenes together are great. Last but not least is Jackie Earle Hayley. As crazy as it sounds, he plays the comedic relief, and actually has some really good lines. My biggest complaint would be that I would like to have seen more of him, because Hayley is an excellent actor and I would have liked for him to be able to show that more, but instead he's stuck as the comedy foil. He's still great mind you, but just isn't given enough to do.
The Good:
The movie excels on its dark visual style, and all of the sets and scenery looks amazing. The set pieces are also great, and there are some really great "dark" moments that gave the movie some edge and made it really interesting. The actors all seemed to be having fun while making this, and they show it, as the chemistry between cast members is great. The really sell the whole "dysfunctional supernatural family", and it is constantly interesting watching them play off each other. As weird and goofy as it is, the climactic "fight" is very entertaining, and the visual style and special effects really excelled here. Despite it not being a straight up comedy, there are some funny scenes, and the occasional line that cracked me up. The movie also isn't afraid to take dark turns, as things do get semi morbid at times.
The Bad:
The movies biggest fault is that it lacks concentration. It switches between goofy comedy to dark Gothic drama and never really becomes successful at either. I'm fine if the movie wants to be a dark drama with comedic moments, but the comedy bits are just too goofy and random that they really don't fit. The movie also has little in the way of plot, as most of the film is just montages of Barnabas doing goofy things or helping out the family. I can easily see how this could have worked as a TV show, but the movie tries to handle too many subplots, and the main plot isn't very strong to begin with.
In Conclusion:
This movie, for the most part, is just messy. It tries hard to be a dark Gothic tale, while almost being ruined by random goofy comedy and absurd plot points. The film does excel, however, on the performances and terrific visuals. If nothing else see if for Depp's performance, but unfortunately, aside from that and the visuals, theres not a whole lot to recommend.
6.5/10
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