Here we have yet another remake by Tim Burton. This time it’s Dark Shadows, a soap opera that aired during the late 60’s and early 70’s that featured many dark and gothic storylines starring a vampire named Barnabas Collins. In this film, Tim Burton has made the “surprising” decision to make Johnny Depp play Barnabas. While I have never seen the original show, I went only because I am a fan of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
The film first begins in the late 18th century in Collinsport, Maine, where Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), the son of the town’s founders, lives. He eventually ends up breaking the heart of one of his servants, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). But, what Barnabas doesn’t know is that Angelique is secretly a witch. Jealously, she curses his true love (Bella Heathcote) to commit suicide, turns him into a vampire, and buries him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is accidentally unearthed by a construction crew. Angelique soon finds out about Barnabas’s return and will do anything to get Barnabas to be with her. In the meantime, he must get used to the 70’s culture and also take control over Collinsport once again.
This film is far from perfect, starting with its tone. What I mean is that the film would quickly switch from a comedic scene to Barnabas killing multiple people. However, my biggest complaint has to be the ending. The film rushed so much character development and revelations within the last fifteen minutes that you’ll be wondering if you missed something. Lastly, this film was falsely advertised. Even though the trailers make the film appear to be a comedy, it was actually very serious while most of the humor was only in the middle of the film.
Luckily there are still some things that redeem the movie. First, the direction, set pieces, and special effects are fantastic, which is something we have come to expect from Tim Burton’s films. Also, the soundtrack, which consisted of many 70’s classics, perfectly fit each scene. The acting was also good, especially Johnny Depp, despite this being a “normal” role for him. Plus, the jokes were funny despite only being used in the middle of the movie.
Unfortunately, this was just an ok film. Tim Burton really needs to start making original films again since it seems like he has ran out of ideas because almost all his films now are adaptations or remakes with varying amounts of success (Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd, Alice and Wonderland, and the upcoming Frankenweenie). I don’t suggest paying full price to see this in the theater, but renting it on DVD when it comes out if you’re interested in this movie. Final Rating: 3/5
