'Dark Shadows' fares a little better. It's a far cry from their best works: 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Ed Wood' and 'Sleepy Hollow', but it is a very enjoyable film aside from some storytelling problems. Based upon a soap opera from the late sixties, 'Dark Shadows' revolves around a Nosferatu-like vampire named Barnabas Collins. After being locked up in a coffin for 200 years by a vengeful witch he seeks to reclaim his family's former fortune and respect.
By the time he returns it is 1972, and the Collins family, along with their gloomy-looking castle, has fallen into disrepair. When he arrives he is greeted by a bunch of eccentrics, a collection of troubled indivuals who are remarkably at home in a Tim Burton film. The cast is pitch-perfect, with Michelle Pfeiffer delivering a sympathetic and eye-catching performance as the family's matriarch Elizabeth.
Despite struggling to fit in with the times and killing a few people to satiate his lust for blood, Barnabas succeeds in revamping the family's fishing business. All is well, until he discovers that the rival company is led by Angelique; the immortal witch who turned him into a vampire because he turned her down. The interaction between Eva Green's witch and Depp's Barnabas are some of the most ejoyable bits from the film.
Unfortunately, 'Dark Shadows' is a bit too heavy on Depp. The film would've profited from a fairer balance between him and the other family members. Barnabas is an interesting character, but not interesting enough to be the focus of the entire film. It got so bad that in some of his scenes I was wondering what the other characters were doing.
The irksome lack of information on any of the other Collinses comes back to bite the movie in its ass during the third act. Here, elements are introduced which feel like they've been added at the last possible second. The children, played by Chloë Moretz and Gulliver McGrath, have powers which, if revealed earlier, would've made for a far more interesting story. Now, this leads to a deus ex machina if there ever was one.
What is fun about this movie is it's depiction of 1972. It's not a realistic depiction by any degree but rather a tonic of all popular culture from the early seventies. The film is soaked in images and sounds which we inherently connect with this time period. And, typically for Burton, the retro-style clashes quite bizarrely, and often comically, with the gothic nature of Barnabas. It's a nice trick and it works well.
Unfortunately, 'Dark Shadows' is not a return to form for Depp or Burton. The two seem more in love with each other than with the story they're trying to tell. The originality of Depp's weird characters is wearing thin but Burton regains some of his former flair by setting this film in the 'real' world. The only collaborator who excels is Danny Elfman, who creates a driving and memorable musical score which manages not be drowned out by the songs of the period.
So if you're in for some typical Tim Burton weirdness, I can recommend this movie. However if you're allergic for the inherent quirkiness of his work you should pass on this one. For me the bizarre comedy sprinkled with some light horror worked quite well. Though, it's a shame Burton didn't dare to let the film breathe.
It has some real moments that made me laugh and had me enjoyed, but Burton starts to lose himself by the end, therefore, he lost me. Could have been so much better and the only reason it is as good as it is, is because of Depp's insane performance. Good review Vince.
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