May 31, 2012

Movie Review: Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows
Release Date ~ 5/11/12
Director ~ Tim Burton
Starring ~ Johnny Depp, Helen Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eva Green
Screenplay ~ Seth Grahame Smith
Studio ~ Warner Brothers
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 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. 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, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman, to help with her family troubles.

Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins; her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard; and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins.

    As a lifelong Tim Burton fan, whenever he has a movie coming out I get really excited. The excitement will usually include endless hours of clip-watching, cast researching, and a couple trips to the costume store. His latest masterpiece, Dark Shadows. Though I've heard many a person criticize the daylight out of it (which is fitting, as it is Dark Shadows), I thought the film was amazing.

   The screenplay and story were stellar. Written by Seth Grahame-Smith, the creative genius behind Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it was perfectly paced. With the exact right mixture of comedy and drama, it will have you laughing your face off, then biting your nails in suspense in the period of a few minutes.

I found it a lot funnier then I thought it was going to be. Though almost all Burton productions have an edge of dark humor, I found Dark Shadows more comical then his earlier productions. Though some may argue the jokes were all for cheap laughs and lacked depth, I thought they were all pretty witty!

  The entire cast was stellar. Though when I first heard about the movie I didn't see Johnny Depp making a very good Barnabas Collins, Burton adapted the role in a way that was perfect for him. He is a comic genius! You can tell how much he puts into every role he does, no matter what kind of role he's playing. After watching Eva Green (Angelique) for a season of Camelot, I am more then confident in her ability to play a villain. As the seductive witch that cursed Barnabas to being a vampire, Dark Shadows was no exception. Helen Bonham Carter made a perfect batty psychiatrist that just gave me the creeps!

Funny and dark, Dark Shadows was one of the best films of the year so far. Burton is a master of the weird!

22 comments:

  1. Loved this movie!! I went with my aunt to see it, she use to watch the show when she was younger.

    Great review :)

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  2. Thanks for the review!
    I've yet to watch this movie and my friends who are Tim Burton/Johnny Depp fans didn't like it much so I was rather worried. I'll still give it a go though. :)

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  3. I've been dying to see this movie! I absolutely love Tim Burton and, well, Johnny Depp is always fantastic. I was a little bit apprehensive, but look at that cast! I mean, Chloe Moretz, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeifer and Helen Bonham Carter. How can that possibly be a bad thing, right? Your review is great and I'm really relieved by it :P I'll definitely be watching it as soon as I can!

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  4. I saw Dark Shadows Monday, and I absolutely loved it. I laughed so hard I was snorting. It was such a funny story, yet it still had a good amount of suspense and creepiness. I loved it. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors, and not just because he is gorgeous. He is also just an amazing talent. He is so adaptable to any character he chooses to play and he always plays it well. Helena Bonham Carter is another favorite and she played her role tremendously. Will there be another Dark Shadows in our future? One can hope! The gal who played Angie, is her voice really like that or was it altered? Cause it was creepy. One of my fave parts was when Barnabus was saying the lyrics to The Steve Miller Bands, The Joker. Oh how I laughed! I am glad to see that at least one person I know loved it too!

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  5. Weirdly enough, I didn't love this movie as well as I thought I would. :(

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  6. I really loved this movie also -- but until I saw your review, every review I've seen (besides the one I did on my own blog) has been negative.
    Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I loved it.

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  7. Ohhh, you don't know how glad I am to read such a positive review! I've been hearing so many negative things about this movie, while I was - and am - excited to go and see it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts ^^

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  8. I LOVE Johnny Depp (oh right, who doesn't??)
    Planning on going to watch it this weekend, cant wait!!

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  9. I didn't realize Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the screenplay. What a combination! Can't wait to see it! Thanks for the review :)

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  10. Betsy Barnes
    pinktaz60@hotmail.com

    I loved your review! I saw this movie and it was GREAT!

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  11. I want to see this but it's not one that I can get anyone to go with me to see...so I'll have to wait. I'm glad to hear you enjoy it! I've heard people criticize it as well, and I was getting sort of nervous. Great review.

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  12. I've be wanting to watch this! Time to drag someone with me to watch it! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. I am actually looking forward to seeing it!

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  14. It was an awesome movie! I loved everything about it and it really dragged you in!

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  15. Yay! I am so glad someone liked this movie. Big fan or both Depp and Burton, so I really wanted this to be good. Everyone keeps saying it looks stupid, but I want to see it. Thanks for your review :D

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  16. My daughter really wants to see this. I thought it was going to be more of a horror type movie until I saw the trailer before the Hunger Games. I was cracking up. It seems much more like Beetlejuice than Sweeney Todd.

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  17. I. LOVE. TIM. BURTON. Which means that I? Must see this movie. Sometime in the near future. Plus, funny things always win in my book.

    Have a great Friday, Benji!
    ♥Jessica(:

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  18. This movie is either going to be genius or REALLY bad. I am going to have to watch it to find out.

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  19. I absolutely loved this movie!!! I know that there was plenty of mix reviews but I have to say I'm on of the fans! :)

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  20. I love Tim Burton, and I can't wait to see this movie. Thanks for the great review! It makes me want to watch Dark Shadows even more!

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  21. I've also heard criticism that it's "Burton's worst". I don't know, I'm going to see it next week, but from the trailer, I expect a lot of fun :)

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  22. I really want to see this movie! I want to see it more now. I think it looks great!

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