Dark Shadows (2012)

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Interesting, and sometimes quite amusing, yet not compelling. Broad plot is reasonably original, but once the scene is set, what follows is mediocre. Reasonably fun, but doesn't go anywhere.Good performances from Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter and Eva Green.

I love the story writing and concepts, and even the idea behind it being dryly funny, but Burton is clearly struggling with control. Too square to be subversive and too lame to be funny, it's a fish-out-of-water macabre-comedy that's as pale as a man who sleeps in a coffin when compared to much better films (What We Do in the Shadows). A decent climax, nice gothic visuals, and Eva Green giving her all still can't bring life to this thing.

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to Dark Shadows.Following on from Alice In Wonderland being a blockbuster hit for Burton and Depp, expectations were high for this one, and I had high hopes too. I had not loved a Depp movie since Sweeney Todd (5 years and 8 movies ago) but the trailer looked promising and when Depp teamed up with Burton, I always enjoyed it. However, whilst this starts off promising, this is a bit of a mess. I think Burton tried to start a franchise and set about trying to incorporate too many subplots into the first movie (A common flaw these days) and a potentially fun movie gets lost. It's not all bad, it does make good use of the 70's music for example. A lot of the humorous moments come from Depp's reactions to 1970s pop culture and I enjoyed the love scene set to Barry White.If they had set out to make a straight comedy like 21 Jump Street, it may have worked. But it's uneven tone makes it impossible to enjoy. Apparently, Depp was a big fan of the original series, and he was really excited to be playing Barnabus. This is the eighth collaboration between Burton and Depp and Burton is the director behind some of his greatest movies. Sadly ever since he graced our cinemas as Captain Jack Sparrow the fine actor of the '90s and early '00s has been replaced by a man with a penchant for over-the-top antics. His Barnabas is a drag, but not because he resembles a drag queen. It's because he seems to belong in another movie. He is far too camp for this movie's darker moments.Michelle Pfieffer is ok, Eva Green is quite good, Helena Bonham Carter is surprisingly bland as is Johnny Lee Miller, whilst Chloe Grace Moretz is fine too, Christopher Lee and Alice Cooper pop up in cameos. This is the last film Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter worked on before their relationship ended. This was also Producer Richard D. Zanuck's (Jaws) last film.Dark Shadows grossed $79 million at the domestic box office to end 2012 as the 39th highest grossing movie of the year!!

Fans (like me) of the original "Dark Shadows" TV series need to remember, this is not an episode of that series, or an original storyline or continuation of it. I think that's what most fans came into this looking for. It is instead (as most Burton films are) a tribute to, or more correctly a parody of, the series, and specifically a parody of the Barnabas Collins vampire storyline.Johnny Depp does the character justice for the material he is given. The actress who plays Dr. Julia Hoffman really does not: regretfully, she is no Grayson Hall and therefore doesn't bring the same air of mystery and near-foreboding to the part. Part of that may be due to the scripting though, and the comedic air which is brought to the film in scenes where it seems a bit out of place (for example, when Barnabas attacks a group of teenagers because he needs to feed). The actress who played Angelique also suffers from the same shortcomings (Lara Parker was much better in the role).The film is appropriately timed at the ending up at Widow's Hill, and in the beginning, but throughout suffers from uneven pacing and seemingly a bit confused direction. Word to all DS fans: Relax, it's a parody, have a bit of fun with it on a Friday night over your favorite beverage or two. Don't expect serious drama and you'll enjoy it fine.