Dark Shadows (2012): an elegant production without a central drive

I really want to watch this since I saw one of the teasers. It was a very good teaser that can make the audience “want to know more” about it. Other than that, Dark Shadows remark the eighth collaboration between Tim Burton - Johnny Depp. After dynamic collaboration such as in Edward Scissor hands, Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, or Ed Wood is really hard to resist on this one.

Special Effect, Characters and Plot

Based on the same title Daytime Soap Opera on TV from 1966-1977, this movie opens with a very promising scene about the early history of Collins family, immigrant from Liverpool in America and how they established a fishing business empire. Young Barnabas Collins (Depp) falling in love with the angelic Josette (Bella Heathcote) and spurns the love of Angelique (Eva Green). 

Angelique, who happens to be witch, forces Josette to flee in terror to a cruel stony finger pointing out from a rocky cliff. Waves dash the stones far below. He pursues her, tries to save her, but is unable to stop her from falling to her death. Barnabas, made into a vampire by Angelique, is wrapped in chains, sealed in a coffin and buried for 190 years.

The story moves forward to 1972. The wreck of the Collinwood estate now is run by the family matriarch, Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), who strains to control her brother Roger (Jonny Lee Miller), her sullen teen daughter Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Roger's motherless 10-year-old handful, David (Gulliver McGrath). This family is so dysfunctional it employs a full-time, live-in shrink, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter). There is an accident that make Barnabas wake-up from his coffins, now he try to resurrect their family reputation and find his happiness.

From the special effect department is very easy to identify this as one of the Burton’s movies, with his Gothic-esque tone and make up.

What I thought about this movie

After very promising opening scenes about Collins family background, I have a very high expectation that this movie will be as good as Sweeney Todd, but unfortunately it is not. Writer Seth Grahame-Smith attempts to assemble 1,225 TV episodes into a coherent, 112-minute script. He fails. And Burton is no help, following his own private fancies while the plot hits a series of dead ends. After a fierce and funny start, Dark Shadows simply spins like a snow balls, uncontrollable.

For my final thoughts, if you are a Burton-Depp fans, there is no way you will miss this and even thou everything feels half-baked, there is some scenes that shows the true collaboration between this dynamic duo and good casts, definitely will choose this over those stupid Twilights saga’s series :p

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