Dark Shadows: Movie Review

If you've seen the trailer, you would expect that you would have think you'd expect. It stars Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), master of Collinwood Manor during the year 1752, Barnabas is rich, powerful and a playboy…until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, and then dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive.

Two centuries later, Barnabas is then freed from his tomb and returns to the Collinwood Manor finding it in a bit of a ruin. Meeting with the new dysfunctional remnants of the Collins' family.

Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Pfeiffer) with her brother Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz), Roger’s precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). They also have an alcoholic live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David’s new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

I am not that familiar with the Dark Shadows series before, but in this one, Barnabas comes back after the long slumber and then tried to restore the family business to its glory. But to his surprise, the competition that he have is the witch Angelique Bouchard, the witch that cursed him.

Though a vampire, Depp portrays Barnabas as a young, sweet, old fashion guy and not really threatening. But executes punchlines and timings perfectly. Watching Depp perform is endearing. Seeing him act this way in his different self is really amusing and entertaining. Though most part the humor is from Barnabas not understanding the modern world.

Burton on the other hand didn't go for full comedy. The movie is neither thrilling nor scary. I felt the it lacks a bit of a substance, but I got to admire Burton's eye for detail. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of some Burton movies. :)

The movie Dark Shadows is just right and good fun of a movie. Fashionably surreal, with daring kills and hot Depp and Green sexy scene. I give the movie 4 of 5 popcorns.

I do have a feeling that this will not be the last that we'll see of Barnabas Collins. So hold on to your fangs and we'll see what happens. I hope we don't have to wait for two centuries.