MOVIE OF THE WEEK (5/11/12): DARK SHADOWS
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Johnny Depp, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Gulliver McGrath, Jonny Lee Miller, Jackie Earle Haley, Bella Heathcote and Chloë Grace Moretz
WRITER(S): Seth-Grahame-Smith (screenplay); John August and Seth-Grahame-Smith (story); Dan Curtis (TV series)
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
THE PLOT: Based upon the 1960s British TV show of the same name, Dark Shadows stars Johnny Depp in the lead role of Barnabas Collins. The son of English immigrants Joshua and Naomi Collins living in 1750s America, the young Barnabas lives in a Maine town that comes to carry his family's name: Collinsport. Growing up a young man of affluence (and influence), Barnabas falls for a young woman named Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote).
Problem is, Barnabas' love for Josette causes heartbreak for Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) ... Who in addition to working as a servant in the Collins household is also a witch. Like, a real witch, complete with the ability to enact curses and spells - which she uses to alter Barnabas' life forever when he attempts to kill himself following the death of Josette. For Angelique has cursed him to be a vampire, turned the town against him and buried him in a casket wrapped in chains 6 feet deep for all eternity.
Well, that is until Barnabas' is inadvertently freed and awakens to find himself in the very different world that is America in 1972. His once prominent family has been reduced to a shell of its former self, as his modern-day descendants - Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz), Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller) and David Collins (Gully McGrath) and family assistant Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley) - rarely leave their home, Collinwood Manor.
In addition to Willie, there are two other non-family members now occupying
Collinwood: Young David's live-in psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) and his new nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote in dual-duty), the mirror image of Barnabas' true love who - like many members of the Collins clan - has more than a few secrets of her own.
So .. What happens when a 200+ year-old vampire comes home? You'll have to watch the movie to find out ...
Problem is, Barnabas' love for Josette causes heartbreak for Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) ... Who in addition to working as a servant in the Collins household is also a witch. Like, a real witch, complete with the ability to enact curses and spells - which she uses to alter Barnabas' life forever when he attempts to kill himself following the death of Josette. For Angelique has cursed him to be a vampire, turned the town against him and buried him in a casket wrapped in chains 6 feet deep for all eternity.
Well, that is until Barnabas' is inadvertently freed and awakens to find himself in the very different world that is America in 1972. His once prominent family has been reduced to a shell of its former self, as his modern-day descendants - Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Grace Moretz), Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller) and David Collins (Gully McGrath) and family assistant Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley) - rarely leave their home, Collinwood Manor.
In addition to Willie, there are two other non-family members now occupying
Collinwood: Young David's live-in psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter) and his new nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote in dual-duty), the mirror image of Barnabas' true love who - like many members of the Collins clan - has more than a few secrets of her own.
So .. What happens when a 200+ year-old vampire comes home? You'll have to watch the movie to find out ...
THE TAKE: Ever since friends of mine found out I was seeing Dark Shadows, I was asked the same question - "How do you think it will be?" - to which I would muster out the same reply: "It's a Tim Burton movie." Upon seeing the film, I have come to the conclusion that saying "It's a Tim Burton movie" is the equivalent of saying "It tasted like Wendy's" when someone asks how your lunch was at the burger chain founded by the late Dave Thomas.
Now, that's not a knock on Dave Thomas or Wendy's, mind you. It's just that when it comes to certain restaurants, while there will occasionally be a slight variance in the experience, you more or less know what exactly to expect walking into it ahead of time ... And the same can now be said about most Tim Burton movies, especially when his two favorite stalwarts (Depp and Bonham Carter) are in just about everything he releases. Yes, the same can be said for many prominent directors with enough work to make their peers jealous of their IMDb page; in Burton's case, however, his formula is growing a tad, well, predictable (for lack of a better word).
Does Depp do a wonderful job with Barnabas? Of course he does. With the exception of The Tourist, Depp is usually great even when the movie itself isn't (yes, I'm looking at you, Rum Diary), making you sympathetic to his misunderstood, funny and charming character. (To be fair, that's pretty much his standard issue role in a Burton movie.) Does Eva Green look stunning and act in an equally compelling fashion? But of course. And does Chloë Grace Moretz keep gunning for the position of top actress in Hollywood under 18, even in a sadly limited role? You better believe it.
But ...
Is the film a little weird for the sake of weird at times? Have you ever seen a Tim Burton movie? Is some of the pacing a little plodding at times? Have you ever SEEN a Tim Burton movie? Is the climax of the film a little less satisfying than the scenes leading up to it and are there a few plot holes, even in the universe in which the characters' live? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TIM BURTON MOVIE?!
Now, before you get it twisted and think I'm sort of Burton hater, let me stop you right there. I am not. However, am I getting a tad weary of watching a trailer for one of his films and then being able to pretty much deduce the next 95 minutes before I ever set foot in the theater? I admit that I am. It's not that his movies aren't at the least interesting, it's just that they are getting a bit too - oh, I don't know - Burton-y for his own good.
If he focused on making the film a comedy, maybe he could have succeeded. Maybe if Burton would just decide to go completely into a horror realm, he could have created a memorable triumph. Instead, what you get is a film that seems to never really find its center, which in turn makes it one of those classic "Well, that was different" films that people will either really love or shrug their shoulders at upon leaving the theater. It's not that Burton seems like he's trying to please every audience possible; it's that it seems he's trying to please all facets of himself: The satirist, the comedian, the dark goth, the creative free-spirit and the lover of all things cinema and sadly, they all can't be pleased at the same time. Whether or not you can, however, remains to be seen.
Now, that's not a knock on Dave Thomas or Wendy's, mind you. It's just that when it comes to certain restaurants, while there will occasionally be a slight variance in the experience, you more or less know what exactly to expect walking into it ahead of time ... And the same can now be said about most Tim Burton movies, especially when his two favorite stalwarts (Depp and Bonham Carter) are in just about everything he releases. Yes, the same can be said for many prominent directors with enough work to make their peers jealous of their IMDb page; in Burton's case, however, his formula is growing a tad, well, predictable (for lack of a better word).
Does Depp do a wonderful job with Barnabas? Of course he does. With the exception of The Tourist, Depp is usually great even when the movie itself isn't (yes, I'm looking at you, Rum Diary), making you sympathetic to his misunderstood, funny and charming character. (To be fair, that's pretty much his standard issue role in a Burton movie.) Does Eva Green look stunning and act in an equally compelling fashion? But of course. And does Chloë Grace Moretz keep gunning for the position of top actress in Hollywood under 18, even in a sadly limited role? You better believe it.
But ...
Is the film a little weird for the sake of weird at times? Have you ever seen a Tim Burton movie? Is some of the pacing a little plodding at times? Have you ever SEEN a Tim Burton movie? Is the climax of the film a little less satisfying than the scenes leading up to it and are there a few plot holes, even in the universe in which the characters' live? HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TIM BURTON MOVIE?!
Now, before you get it twisted and think I'm sort of Burton hater, let me stop you right there. I am not. However, am I getting a tad weary of watching a trailer for one of his films and then being able to pretty much deduce the next 95 minutes before I ever set foot in the theater? I admit that I am. It's not that his movies aren't at the least interesting, it's just that they are getting a bit too - oh, I don't know - Burton-y for his own good.
If he focused on making the film a comedy, maybe he could have succeeded. Maybe if Burton would just decide to go completely into a horror realm, he could have created a memorable triumph. Instead, what you get is a film that seems to never really find its center, which in turn makes it one of those classic "Well, that was different" films that people will either really love or shrug their shoulders at upon leaving the theater. It's not that Burton seems like he's trying to please every audience possible; it's that it seems he's trying to please all facets of himself: The satirist, the comedian, the dark goth, the creative free-spirit and the lover of all things cinema and sadly, they all can't be pleased at the same time. Whether or not you can, however, remains to be seen.
PARTING SHOT:A movie best-suited for die-hard fans of Depp and Burton and/or those who love the Goth lifestyle, Dark Shadows shines in more spots than it fails, but not quite bright enough to achieve the cinematic prominence to which its main character aspires.
Comments
Post a Comment