May. 11th, 2012
Dark Shadows
May. 11th, 2012 11:02 pmIn the press push of his new movie, Dark Shadows, Tim Burton bragged that he didn't watch the series his movie is based on. Perhaps that's why he decided to film it as an acerbic comedy with gothic overtones. Perhaps that's why the movie works.
I saw Dark Shadows this morning, and thought it was an entertaining film. Johnny Depp does a wonderful job of portraying Barnabus Collins, although even when he's being bad, his character doesn't seem to have much bite. The villain of the piece, and, in all honesty, the one who steals every scene she's in, is Eva Green, who plays the wonderfully dark Angelique Bouchard. Michelle Pfeifer delivers a servicable portrayal as matriarch of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, but she could just as easily be playing the role of Laura Alden from 1994's Wolf. Helena Bonham Carter puts a delicious spin on the role of Doctor Julia Hoffman. The rest of the cast is decent, and child-actor Gulliver McGrath, who plays young David Collins, may be someone to watch in the future.
The movie is pure popcorn fun, so anyone going in with expectations of a moody goth film should leave those at the door.
On the Melworks Scale of Movie Love, I'd give Dark Shadows a 6. I think it'd be a fun data movie and would stand up to a second viewing.
I saw Dark Shadows this morning, and thought it was an entertaining film. Johnny Depp does a wonderful job of portraying Barnabus Collins, although even when he's being bad, his character doesn't seem to have much bite. The villain of the piece, and, in all honesty, the one who steals every scene she's in, is Eva Green, who plays the wonderfully dark Angelique Bouchard. Michelle Pfeifer delivers a servicable portrayal as matriarch of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, but she could just as easily be playing the role of Laura Alden from 1994's Wolf. Helena Bonham Carter puts a delicious spin on the role of Doctor Julia Hoffman. The rest of the cast is decent, and child-actor Gulliver McGrath, who plays young David Collins, may be someone to watch in the future.
The movie is pure popcorn fun, so anyone going in with expectations of a moody goth film should leave those at the door.
On the Melworks Scale of Movie Love, I'd give Dark Shadows a 6. I think it'd be a fun data movie and would stand up to a second viewing.