Thursday, November 29, 2012

Dark Shadows by Tim Burton, 2012 (PG-13)



with Johnny Depp (The Rum Diary, Alice in Wonderland, Chocolat, Rango), Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland, The King's Speech), Eva Green (Perfect Sense, The Dreamers), Chloƫ Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote, Jonny Lee Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Gulliver McGrath

Tim Burton's take on the cult gothic soap follows a centuries-old vampire as he returns to his now-crumbling estate to meet his modern descendants. But what he finds is a house full of secrets and shadows.
Duration: 113 minutes

Did you see the 1967 original series Dark Shadows? I just had a look at it after watching the movie, and it is in the script quite faithful to the original. Of course the aesthetic is definitely Tim Burton, and the sense of humor as well. It works, in a simplistic way. The actors are great, all from the large family of Burton, playing in their familiar genre. Now, to say that this was a great movie... Everything was pushed to the point of the obvious, the scenes with Eva Green look like they were made with amphetamines, even tho she makes Barnabas look not as puritan and devotedly romantic as most characters of the mainstream cinema lately are. Her death is far more interesting than her life... Michelle Pfeiffer was actually good, and Helena Bonham Carter, for once, had her character tamed to the almost normal! Still... Maybe the truth is you have to love Tim Burton's movie to like this one, and since Mars Attacks (which was awesome), I lost the taste of it.

Watch Trailer:

2 comments:

  1. Not as exciting or as funny as the goofy trailers promised, which is what really bummed me out in the end. I think it's just time for Burton and Depp to take some time apart from one another. Who knows, it may both do them some real good in the future. Good review.

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    1. Hi Dan O, thanks for your review (which I agree with)!

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