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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.
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.
