Dark Shadows
2012 Directed by Tim Burton
Synopsis
Every Family Has Its Demons
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet-or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better...
Cast
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The days of looking forward to a new Tim Burton film are long gone. Seemingly happy to churn out woeful re-imaginings drenched in his tired Gothic stylings, Burton has slowly morphed into self-parody. Sadly he seems more than happy to work with actors just as lazy as he is. Do you remember when Depp used to seek out interesting roles? For a whole generation of people who have not experienced his films pre-Pirates of the Caribbean they probably only know him as an actor who delivers broad pantomime baffoonery. Likewise, Helen Bonham Carter is happy to waste her talents in undemanding and over the top supporting roles. Unsurprisingly, Dark Shadows continues this trend of creative apathy as we get another…
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I remember when a Tim Burton film was something kooky that the whole world would fall in love with. Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, even his Batman (although I wasn't keen on it). But increasingly Burton's films have lost their way. Dark Shadows is a mess. Disjointed, rarely keeping any character continuity from one scene to the next. Its only saving grace is Johnny Depp's rather familiar central character. As per usual he throws enough heart into the performance that it stands out. Its Burton who lets the film fail. Poor editorial choices and a lack of good characters make this hugely disappointing. The trailer made it feel like a comedy but the truth is Dark Shadows isn't a comedy, it just…
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The way everyone has rated Dark Shadows and condemned it to the ground, I was really dreading watching it this evening.
Boy was I in for a treat! I try to keep in mind that nothing could be worse than Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but all the reviews had really caused the outlook to be ever so bleak.
Dark Shadows was quite endearing, even funny at times. My Mom has always been a huge fan of Soap Operas and I grew up hearing about her love of Dark Shadows, the idea had always intrigued me and when I tried to watch it with her at one point, it failed to keep my interest. While this has the love…
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This was going to be it, this was going to be the moment that I broke free. I promised myself that if Tim did this to me again, I was going to pack up my bags and go and stay at my mother's. He's done this to me one too many times and Dark Shadows is the last straw.
This is closure.
But wait, Frankenweenie is getting good reviews.
Maybe he has changed.
Maybe he's back to his old self.
Maybe things can go back to the way they were.
Maybe he does still love me.
And, you know, he's probably right, it really was my fault after all. -
Jesus fuck, Tim, make up your fucking mind.
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There are just three things I like about this film, the soundtrack and Eva Green's boobs.
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Good looking movie, great cast, but for some reason the whole seems less than the parts. Like much of late era Tim Burton, I wanted to like this more than I actually did. I dont think it was a bad movie, it just never came together the way it should of.
Based on a 70s TV show that I had never heard of until this movie was made, it feels like its trying to be a gothic comedy in the vain of Beetlejuice, or Nightmare Before Christmas, but somehow what worked so well in those films seems forced here.
It feels like there are parts missing. Either an expectation of familiarity with the TV show, a strain to set up…
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An unholy mess of a movie, not totally without entertainment value but with uneven performances & tonally it’s all over the shop.
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I've never seen the 1970s soap opera on which Dark Shadows is based, but I'm assuming the movie relies too heavily on storylines from the show. I'm assuming this due to the unfocused narrative, excessive characters without satisfying arcs or interactions, and story threads that don't have a decent payoff.
Still though, there is a strong cast with Johnny Depp once again putting in a good performance, and Tim Burton elevates the material above what would be a complete disaster in less-skilled hands. Overall though, for me this movie delivered on it's reputation for being a bit of a sprawling mess which has it end up being merely mediocre.
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In een verleden dat geeneens ver geleden lijkt, schreven we in deze kolommen onze teleurstelling over het jongste werk van Tim Burton. Burton, kapsel steevast in vogelnest en blik permanent op halfdroef melancholisch, bleek immers niet meer de excentrieke outsider van weleer, maar een filmmaker die almaar meer in de pas bleek te lopen van de studiobonzen. Het dient echter gezegd: Burtons ‘Dark shadows’ is terug iets meer vintage-Burton dan vintage-Disney, al komt de film niet eens aan het schouderstel van Burtons betere exploten.
Voor zijn nieuwste film greep de regisseur terug naar een obscure televisieserie waar hij zich als jonge koter en masse aan laafde: ‘Dark shadows’, een folie uit de jaren zestig over een groep griezels die onder…
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The story is bland, the characters are remarkably dull and the jokes fall flatter than Mitt Romney’s personality.
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Although I like, many others, am a huge Tim Burton fan who's been disappointed by much of his work post-Ed Wood...I really loved this, This is my 4th or 5th time watching it (background watches included) and it's completely retained it's charm for me.
Even though I'm a fan of the original series...I went into the film knowing it was going to be a campy version and, with that mind, I loved just about everything about it. I'm also a sucker for 60s and 70s films, docs and spoofs, so I guess maybe this had something for me that made it a whole lot easier to love. But...love it, I do.
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This could have been more, although it doesn't take itself too seriously it also doesn't make you laugh enough. Still good if you enjoy Burton.
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It has some funny moments and the cast is good, but at a certain point it feels as if Tim Burton has made the same film over and over again and after a few times it just stops being special.
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The fact that my favorite part in this film was a cameo from Alice Cooper should give you some clue into what this movie had going for it.
Despite the amazing cast, and my previous enjoyment of the vast majority of Tim Burton's movies, stylistically and plot-wise this movie just didn't have me.
Many of the scenes were awkward and didn't seem to add to the plot in a very meaningful way.
Overall I don't believe this remake of the old television show should have occurred at all.
My nod to Chloë Grace Moretz though, the girl can always deliver.