Dark Shadows (2012)

Dark Shadows sees the return of working-duo Depp and Burton in their 8th feature film together and like their previous cinematic jaunts we are given a weird and sometimes-wonderful slice of gothic pie. For those unaware this is based on the long-running TV show of the same name which aired from 1966-1971. In its time the show was a popular staple and its fans include Depp, Burton and Pfeiffer themselves, which perhaps explains why this adaptation was made. I certainly don’t think its Burton adhering to the vampire-fad that’s been seeping into cinema and TV since Twilight graced our screens. Indeed this film bears no similarity to the teen-fad that is Twilight, with Burton lending a dash of his trademark dark humour to the vampy proceedings.

Of course when it comes to gothic Burton is the unofficial King of the genre, with each film in his directorial past reminiscent of the stereotypes of the genre. In this film that gothic edge is brought to the forefront with hanging buttresses, hidden passageways and foggy settings contributing to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the film, not to mention the pre-requisite crazy witch-bitch (It’s not really gothic without that last one now is it?). Said crazy witch-bitch is played by the talented Eva Green who brings a quirky-hilarity to the role of scorned and vengeful Angelique who has some serious issues when it comes to Depp’s Barnabus Collins. Angelique embodies that one ex you have who just can’t seem to forgive and forget and this is shown to the extreme when she kills Barnabus’ family and fiancé and curses him to eternal damnation by making him a bloodsucking vampire. To add salt to the wounds she sets the village locals on him on your stereotypical dark-and-stormy-night who chain him in a coffin where he stays put for 196 years (the devils in the details) until he is accidently set free.

His release into this new world that is the 1970s sets in motion a whole host of events which is set against the backdrop of Barnabus acquainting himself with the much-changed town of Collinsport, where our film is set. His confusion and reaction to this much-changed world is where much of the films hilarity is sourced and Depp is quite convincing as a disillusioned vampire with a biting (no pun intended!) determination to restore his crumbling families former glory. This modern-day Collins family is comprised of family matriarch Michelle Pfeiffer, rebellious teen Chloe Grace Moretz, haunted and disturbed Gulliver McGrath, and scumbag absentee-father Johnny Lee Miller. Each actor is well-cast in his or her role, yet I couldn't help but feel slightly disturbed by Moretz’ character who was highly-sexualised given her age. This just seemed a rather unnecessary attribute to Moretz’ character and was played with such a hyperbolic energy that I couldn't help but cringe slightly when the character came onscreen. I don’t know, maybe I’m just overreacting. After all this is the same actress who at 13 years old played the foul-mouthed Hit Girl in movie sensation Kick Ass, so maybe Moretz is just keen to avoid having that oh-so-innocent child-star quality in her films and on her resume.

Moretz' character is a somewhat bizarre one, even for a Burton production, and her subplot just feels like a clumsy last-minute addition to the screenplay.

In terms of this films enjoyability I think that might be somewhat hindered by its ‘all-over-the-place’ quality, with too many sub-plots confusing the films main purpose and too many characters vying for attention in this ambitious production. For example the film begins by introducing us to the Collins’ new governess “Victoria Winters” (played by Bella Heathcote) and so I assumed she would take centre-stage (alongside Depp of course) throughout the film, which was apparently a foolish assumption to make. Though this character does have a romantic link to Depp’s their relationship is never given enough screen time to feel authentic, nor is Heathcote’s character throughout the film in general, though as it turns out her genesis is vital to the plots cohesion. This lack of screen time was not only irritating but seemed clumsy on Burton’s part (she’s the romantic lead after all. It would be like a 2-hour Harry Potter film with only 30 minutes of said character being shown!).

To add fuel to the “random plot twists” fire there is also the case of Moretz’ character and her interesting…”progression” (for lack of a better word)…at the end of the film which was just a confusing and unnecessary addition to this already heaving film. The fact that there are so many subplots and character-dilemmas might be explained by the fact that the film is based upon a TV show, so it would be a fair assumption to make that the film takes its inspiration from one or two (or several) episodes, but since I've never seen the series upon which the film is based I can’t be certain (just idle speculation).

All-in-all the film is a relatively enjoyable one and certainly if you’re a fan of a Burton-Depp production you’ll derive some pleasure from this quirky comedy, but don’t hold out too much hope for a cohesive plot and direction. The film is slightly wacky but its overall look and tone is splendid and well-worth at least one viewing.

To cut a long story short…
Would I recommend this film? I guess, but it’s more the kind of film that you’d watch on a Sunday afternoon when there's nothing else on. 

A film ramblers star rating?  

That’s it for now folks…