Set initially in 18th century America and later during the counterculture movement of the 20th century, Dark Shadows is sure to wow viewers – and not necessarily in a good way.
Dark Shadows is about a colonial playboy, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), who breaks the heart of the local town witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Angelique is a woman that takes “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” to a whole new level. After cursing Barnabas’s lover, Josette, to her rocky death, she turns Barnabas into a vampire, doomed to live the majority of his eternal life in a dark enclosed coffin.
Years later, blissfully ignorant Maggie Evans (Bella Heathcote) enters the troubles and woes of the Collins scene. Barnabas is still dreadfully immortal, the Collins family is still the talk of the town, and Angelique is still jealously seeking Barnabas’s affections – and vengeance.
Because I heard the movie was directed by Tim Burton, creator of masterpieces such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, I’d expected more out of Dark Shadows. Although some aspects of the movie were witty and creative, I found other parts to be cliché and underdeveloped. The acting in this movie was excellent, but the character of Maggie Evans could have been explored a bit more. I felt she was given a generic storyline to compensate for her dull personality and the heavier emphasis on the relationship between Angelique and Barnabas. In the end, Maggie only appeared in a few scenes, and even fewer of them were with Barnabas himself.
The creators of the movie tried too hard to fit everything into one movie. Mixing humor, action, romance, horror, and mystery all into one put more of a burden on the movie rather than improve it. Consequently, parts of the movie felt rushed while other aspects were left unexplained.
This movie probably isn’t the best movie to watch if you’re looking for a masterpiece, but it is a good way to kill time with friends if you’re looking for a decent, formulaic comedy. You’d be able to see an FVHS alumnus (Michelle Pfeiffer) in action.
