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| Director Tim Burton tackles the soap opera drama of Collinswood Manor with his usual crew. |
Tim Burton is one of those directors who can’t shake himself
out of his comfort zone of being predictable. His past several films all seem
to have the same recurring elements, namely the ever-quirky performances of
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as well as haunting scores from Danny
Elfman, which serve as the ideal complement for the consistent dark cinematic
themes. To some, the constant repetition of the same collaborators over and
over may seem like taking the easy way out, yet we don’t criticize Martin
Scorsese and Christopher Nolan for being equally guilty of reusing talent.
Simply put, Tim Burton retaining his predictable state functions as the best outcome, not only because it has worked time and time again, but we go in knowing exactly what to expect from him as a filmmaker. With Dark Shadows, Burton takes the 1960s supernatural soap opera with the same name and revises years of canon to ultimately match his peculiar style and fit within a constrictive two-hour timeframe. Bogged down in gothic undertones and vengeful tendencies, Dark Shadows is right up Burton’s alley, who alongside Johnny Depp were both fans of the original show.
Dark Shadows starts off by throwing slivers and segments at the audience about how Johnny Depp’s character, Barnabas Collins (Sorry Twilight fans that’s Collins not Cullen), transforms from an industrial playboy to an immortal bloodsucker courtesy of the witch Angelique (Eva Green) whose advances he continuously rejected. The moral here is if a witch is obsessively in love with you, save yourself the heartache and being buried alive for a few centuries and just succumb to such a gorgeous temptress. Fast forward to 1972 and there’s no mention of Barnabas or Angelique.
Instead, the narrative abruptly shifts to following a pale mousy governess (Bella Heathcote) seeking employment at Collinwood Manor, the estate of the once prestigious Collins family. The Collins’ fishing empire has fallen into ruin thanks to Angelique, whose local celebrity status as the successful businesswoman Angie has made her a thorn in the family’s side multiple lifetimes over. Barnabas then returns from the grave, accidentally freed by a construction crew and reunited with his modern day family. As necessary as new audiences of the soap opera need to be spoon-fed an abridged prologue, presenting every ounce of back story upfront leaves little room for suspense. Understandably, Burton sets out with the intention of situating audiences into the gothic mood. But the suspenseful tone within the first few minutes of Dark Shadows turns out to be polarizing to the remainder of the movie.
Simply put, Tim Burton retaining his predictable state functions as the best outcome, not only because it has worked time and time again, but we go in knowing exactly what to expect from him as a filmmaker. With Dark Shadows, Burton takes the 1960s supernatural soap opera with the same name and revises years of canon to ultimately match his peculiar style and fit within a constrictive two-hour timeframe. Bogged down in gothic undertones and vengeful tendencies, Dark Shadows is right up Burton’s alley, who alongside Johnny Depp were both fans of the original show.
Dark Shadows starts off by throwing slivers and segments at the audience about how Johnny Depp’s character, Barnabas Collins (Sorry Twilight fans that’s Collins not Cullen), transforms from an industrial playboy to an immortal bloodsucker courtesy of the witch Angelique (Eva Green) whose advances he continuously rejected. The moral here is if a witch is obsessively in love with you, save yourself the heartache and being buried alive for a few centuries and just succumb to such a gorgeous temptress. Fast forward to 1972 and there’s no mention of Barnabas or Angelique.
Instead, the narrative abruptly shifts to following a pale mousy governess (Bella Heathcote) seeking employment at Collinwood Manor, the estate of the once prestigious Collins family. The Collins’ fishing empire has fallen into ruin thanks to Angelique, whose local celebrity status as the successful businesswoman Angie has made her a thorn in the family’s side multiple lifetimes over. Barnabas then returns from the grave, accidentally freed by a construction crew and reunited with his modern day family. As necessary as new audiences of the soap opera need to be spoon-fed an abridged prologue, presenting every ounce of back story upfront leaves little room for suspense. Understandably, Burton sets out with the intention of situating audiences into the gothic mood. But the suspenseful tone within the first few minutes of Dark Shadows turns out to be polarizing to the remainder of the movie.
Yes, Dark Shadows has absolutely no clue what it wants or more importantly needs to be. The constant shifts from comedy to drama to romance and jerks the structure around. One moment Barnabas is humorously trying to accustom himself to 1970s transportation (the fact that Chevys have replaced horses) and contemporary vernacular while moments later he sinks his teeth into unsuspecting victims. Depp is more than capable in handling whatever his long-term creative partner puts in front of him. In one particular scene, Chloe Moretz asks if Barnabas is stoned; Barnabas doesn’t quite comprehend the fact that stoned doesn’t mean bludgeoning someone to death with a rock anymore. Depp play the scene perfectly straight, even with double meanings and solid humor consuming the core moment. Initially it appears that Dark Shadows weighs heavily on the ensemble element, particularly with a lineup including Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Moretz, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter and even a brief cameo from Dracula himself, Christopher Lee.
But as Dark Shadows progresses, everything is boiled down as Depp and Green spectacle, especially in its action induced climax. The other actors have their sporadic moments here and there, but the plot finds itself simplified focusing solely on this supernatural pair. Bella Heathcote is terrific as the plain and innocent Victoria, but her character loses prominence as soon as the veteran actors claim center stage. Dark Shadows has a rich five-year history and there just isn’t enough time for every character to draw attention to themselves in such a limited space. There is ample potential in what Burton can do with the dysfunctional Collins family, if by chance a sequel is green lit.
But as Dark Shadows progresses, everything is boiled down as Depp and Green spectacle, especially in its action induced climax. The other actors have their sporadic moments here and there, but the plot finds itself simplified focusing solely on this supernatural pair. Bella Heathcote is terrific as the plain and innocent Victoria, but her character loses prominence as soon as the veteran actors claim center stage. Dark Shadows has a rich five-year history and there just isn’t enough time for every character to draw attention to themselves in such a limited space. There is ample potential in what Burton can do with the dysfunctional Collins family, if by chance a sequel is green lit.
As integral as Johnny Depp is to headlining Dark Shadows as his typical (well typical for a Tim Burton film), yet quirky presence that resonates from a resume of bizarre characters, it’s comes down to Eva Green’s divalicious villainy that creeps in and steals every moment onscreen. As Angelique, Green is deliciously over the top with her seductive and malevolent mannerisms that start to ride the line of an old school Disney villain. Occasionally Burton takes her character too far, but it’s all in good fun.
Nothing in Dark Shadows is meant to be taken seriously when vampires, witches and other supernatural beings clash in a vibrant era of lava lamps, shag rugs, disco balls and yes, even Alice Cooper. And if all these clues haven’t set off that light bulb telling you that it’s the 1970s, Burton entangles classic rock and pop ballads from The Carpenters, The Moody Blues and Black Sabbath with another score from longtime partner, Danny Elfman. Dark Shadows shouldn’t be treated no differently than any other television show adaptation that’s brings old and new audiences alike for an entertaining ride with all its tonal twists and turns. Fans of Burton will appreciate Dark Shadows for its throwback bizarreness and effortlessly changing the window dressing of already established, working formula.
Nothing in Dark Shadows is meant to be taken seriously when vampires, witches and other supernatural beings clash in a vibrant era of lava lamps, shag rugs, disco balls and yes, even Alice Cooper. And if all these clues haven’t set off that light bulb telling you that it’s the 1970s, Burton entangles classic rock and pop ballads from The Carpenters, The Moody Blues and Black Sabbath with another score from longtime partner, Danny Elfman. Dark Shadows shouldn’t be treated no differently than any other television show adaptation that’s brings old and new audiences alike for an entertaining ride with all its tonal twists and turns. Fans of Burton will appreciate Dark Shadows for its throwback bizarreness and effortlessly changing the window dressing of already established, working formula.
Despite its blatant bipolar tone, Dark Shadows is a hypnotic retro episode for a brand new generation to be exposed to the weekly dysfunctional Collins’ family drama. The laughs of Barnabas’ time-displaced behavior and banter with Angelique surface like clockwork, the drama too, but Burton’s parlor tricks won’t win over any of his harshest critics or the show’s older, more rigid audience, who will be pounce on the minute discrepancies. But there’s so much going on within the frame of Dark Shadows that it just demands to further these characters in a sequel that’s fueled by stronger consistency.
GRADE: B+ (8/10)
This review is also available on Blu-Ray.com
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