Dark Shadows

Tim Burton has always been one of the most visionary directors of the past thirty years, and has made many classic films over the years. He's made films such as "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure," "Beetlejuice," "Edward Scissorhands," "Big Fish," "Nightmare Before Christmas," and also adapted franchises to the big screen as well like "Batman," Sleepy Hallow," and "Sweeny Todd." Though, that's not to say he's had some that weren't very up there like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Alice in Wonderland," which may not have been as good as their predecessor, I found them not as bad as everyone says. But I can definitely agree, that "Planet of the Apes" is, without a doubt, his weakest entry. Which brings us to his newest film, "Dark Shadows".

Now "Dark Shadows," was originally based on a gothic soap-opera from the late-60's, then revived back in the early-90's, and told the story of Victoria Winters and the Collins family, in the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine. The show was established as a murder mystery at times, and it was very eerie at times. However, the show's popularity never came into play, until Barnabas Collins, a vampire who was cursed by a witch, came onto the show. Now, watching the 90's version, it IS different from it's predecessor, mostly due to the budget.

As for the movie, I was actually quite interested on how Tim Burton would adapt something like this. With his visual flare, and him being a fan of the show, it could lead to such amazement. Though, I started to have a little problem, with it being advertised as a comedy, which would be hard to deal with. And when I saw the film...I was right.

The film tells the story of Barnabas Collins, a boy who grows up in the New World, and establishes Collinsport and his home, Collinwood, with his family. However, after breaking the heart of a witch, he and his family down are then cursed, with Barnabas to be a vampire and to be locked away. Two centuries later, he's freed from his prison and wakes up in the year 1972, and finds his home of Collinwood, and that the family business has been outlandished by another. Now, he is destined to help bring his family business back up to the top. Now, it's been a while since I've watched the show, so I don't have THAT much comparisson to the show, but I can definitely say that it had potential of being great, but it's simply brushed off for it's comedy, and that's not a good sign.

The casting, with it being Tim Burton, obviously has Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Johnny Depp admitted that he's always dreamed of playing Barnabas, and I'll admit he does a good job playing him. When he's not doing anything comedic at times, he's simply brilliant. He gave a hell of a good performance. However, compared to the late-Jonathan Frid, he's just simply not Barnabas. Plus, with him being a vampire, there are scenes were he's out in the daylight, and yet some parts that aren't covered up by clothes aren't smoking up one bit, but when he's exposed by the rest of the Collins family his jacket is set on fire. So yeah, that doesn't make sense there. Helena Bonham Carter plays Dr. Hoffman, who's the family's doctor and complete drunk. She's was alright, but one thing that bugged me about her. She has sessions with Barnabas, to extract his vampire blood, thinking it would reverse the effects it has on him, but later on it's revealed that she wanting his vampire blood, so she can be immortal and beautiful forever. Now, while that is weird, but reasonable, I just have to ask, why does she look to be more pale than Barnabas? And it's not like she was turning pale while she was taking his blood, she was pale before Barnabas returned. Why? And further more, how does Barnabas have any blood in him, if he's a friggin vampire?

Now the rest of the cast, they did a good job too. Michelle Pfieffer as Elizabeth Collins gave a nice performance. And still, even at age of 54, Pfieffer's still pretty, and that's always a good sign. Eva Green plays the witch, Angelique, and wasn't much. I've seen her give a better performance in "Casino Royale", but here there's just nothing here. Jackie Earle Haley plays Groundskeeper Willie. No, I'm not kidding, that's his name. And he was okay at best. It was a basic hit or miss performance, but at least it was better than his performance as Freddy Krueger. Carolyn, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, I'm not going to lie, was really forgettable. She had no impression left on me, and that's really sad, because I love Moretz, she's like one of my top 5 favorite child actors under 20. The only thing I actually remember about her, was that at the end she's a werewolf, which was NEVER hinted at in any other part of the movie. Christopher Lee has a cameo in the film, as the 'king of the fishermen' in Collinsport. That cameo alone was more memorable than Chloe Moretz performance.

Now, with it being a Tim Burton film, the set designs, costumes, and make-up are phenominal. I enjoyed everything that looked gothic and eerie in the film. Right down to the harbor in ol'timey England to Collinswood. Some of the effects were really neat as well...however, some of the CGI was really lousy, and it happens at the end. I don't want to say what it is, but it is some of the most cartoonish looking CGI I have ever seen in a movie. But the big thing that brought this movie down, was the comedy. For a film that's advertised as a comedy, it was just boring. Not only that, but the 70's disco songs were really distracting. It's like the film is trying to say to the audiences, "Don't forget, this is the 70's!" and it got really old, really fast. Now, if they added in "That's the Way I Like It," by KC and the Sunshine Band, during that "sex scene" with Barnabas and Angelique, then I would have found that kind of funny. During the first 45 minutes, the atmosphere, the pacing, and much about it felt like the actual show. That was the best part about the movie, and I really wish that it was done more like that, and have the comedy and 70's pop songs be more subtle.

Overall, "Dark Shadows" is just disappointing. I really wanted to like this movie, and at times, I did. But it's just that the comedy and 70's disco music, that pops out of no where, brings the film down. The first 45 minutes, the set designs, make-up, and costumes are what make the film work on some parts. The performances are either good, okay, or just forgettable. Granted, it's not the worst film I've seen this year, or even the worst comedy I've seen. I can definitely say, this is one of Tim Burton's weakest films. It's not AS bad as "Planet of the Apes," like some are saying, but it's still bad.

Rating: 4/10