I never saw the tv show so have nothing to compare it to except Depp and Burton's previous movies. I thought this was witty and well acted. Depp is excellent as a camp, over-the-top Barnabus Collins. Maybe it's not what fans of the series were expecting (or wanting), but I had fun!

I liked it. I think some of the criticism is valid, however, this IS a movie adapted from a soap opera. It's not supposed to be deep, or especially thought provoking. It's just good campy, vampy fun!

This may be the best example of a trailer that crammed the movie's ONLY decent 2 minutes into a promising preview. The other 111 minutes are deadly dull. In this vague nod to the TV series, Johnny Depp stars as Barnabas Collins, who returns to his home in the 70s after being buried for 200 years. The potential for fish-out-of-water humor is wrung out in a handful of gags (all in the trailer) and the rest of the proceedings are incredibly tedious and listless. The only thing worth watching is the art direction. Otherwise, this is undoubtedly Tim Burton's worst film ever.… Expand

A fun movie but at the same time dramatic and a little horror. Excellent scenery, even the special effects,an amazing make up, as always, a truly stellar cast and a storyline particularly full of vampires, witches, curses and mysteries to solve.

I don't know what happen with Burton, I remember Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Ed Wood, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, excellent movies, but now he do blockbusters for kids, or really terrible movies, Dark Shadows is a great example. The trailers are really funny, but when you watch the movie, you can watch the bad development, the terrible performances (really? Deep again?) and all the problems that Dark Shadows have. Funny in some moments, but the biggest part of the movie is terrible.… Expand

The movie is NOT a comedy. All the "funny" parts are in the trailer. I'm not even sure what genre it belongs in as it isn't scary either. Just kind of a dumb high budget B film you'd expect to see straight to dvd these days.

Witty and well crafted with an ingenious interwoven plot as it is not quite a horror film, not quite a romance film while being comedic and seemingly resolute in purpose. Johnny Depp is absolutely amusing and thoroughly entertaining as he tries to apply old world logic to the culture and attitudes of 1972. A bit of a new twist on an old style for Tim Burton. Not to be missed!

I can't find the Old Burton in this movie. Maybe he is changing his style, I don't know, but I don't like it. I have to admit the mixed all styles: vampire, retro, gothic it's well done...but no more. I am really tired to see Depp doing the same "Jack faces" over and over again. If Burton are producing and directing "kids stuff" is time he public that new, 'cos this movie.... isn't Burtons style.

I liked it much more than I anticipated I would. I was hoping and praying it wouldn't remotely resemble a Pirates film - it doesn't. The acting is excellent - particularly Helena Bonham Carter (as the family psychiatrist) and Bella Heathcoate (as Victoria Winters). The parts are not overplayed like they often are in Burton films. Your head isn't spinning by the third act. But what stands out for me is the music - perfectly captures the time period. I was particularly pleased to hear Donovan's "Season of the Witch" and Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy." The movie does the early 70's perfectly.. Sure, it gets a touch slow, and perhaps runs a bit long, but it's a good movie.… Expand

What a piece of crud. This movie sucked (pardon the pun) almost as much as the Twilight films. Someone please make Burton and Depp from making movies together. A TV show with over 1,000 episodes that ran for years cannot be made into a condensed two hour movie. Don't waist your time. Go see Avengers again, like many people did.

The visual are top notch but Tim Burton never finds a consistent rhythm, mixing campy jokes and gothic spookiness. Dark Shadows suffering imbalance and ridiculous script and all A-list star here couldn't help much. Despite its intriguing trailer, Dark Shadows turn to be dead and boring entertainment.

The trailers made this movie look like it was going to be funny and entertaining, I'm a huge Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, and Tim Burton fan, but this movie was bad. There were funny parts but overall a bad film. There was no character development and the story was all over the place. There were way too many flaws in the story for me to be able to like it.

this film was something i was looking forward to see but only got disappointed. this film was great don't get me wrong with that but there was so many things in this film that didn't really seem to make much sense. the story line and the actors were done well but to be honest i would of rather watched Sweeney Todd instead. the ending was shallow and the finish was too quick. the next film to this would be something to look out for..because i hope it picks its self up.… Expand

There were funny moments in the film, and also scary ones (like that of the child disguised as a ghost) but all as a whole, it was a bit boring, progress was slow, too much speaking sometimes, and characters relationships felt a bit superficial, Victoria overall, it was good at first but then she just disappears the whole film, and her relationship with Deep is barely shown. I think the first part and the ending of the film were the best dramatic moments, the rest felt just as filler.… Expand

I walked into this film expecting to laugh frequently. As it turns out, a word better fitted to the result would be intermittently. I did enjoy the film. You just need to bear in mind that the majority of punch lines were already delivered in the promotional trailer.
I am a fan of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. For those of you like me out there this will be worth every penny. Don't waste your money on the IMAX version. This particular film is not improved much by the format.
This time around Mr. Burton didn't come across as outlandish as in previous films. Perhaps he is residing closer to Earth as he grows in age. Although, my movie date said, and I quote, "this Tim Burton guy must smoke some good stuff."
Johnny Depp was impeccable in his rendition. Who would expect any less. The guy has something. Some of you out there could only wish.
Eva Green's character was tons of fun to watch. She gives the movie that extra that makes you want to keep watching. No doubt she had a good laugh playing this character. Let's hope she doesn't take it home with her. Scary.
Michelle Pfeiffer hasn't been much on the circuit lately, and I wish she did. Her skills are as good as ever in this movie. We miss you girl! Come back more often!
Everyone else performed as expected. Professional deliveries all around. Just nothing too off the pallet. I'm not sure the writing asked more of them.
I particularly enjoyed the set design and costumes. The right blend of grandiosity and fantasy without getting too outlandish. Do look around as you walk through this film. You will find interesting treats.
Tim Burton has always done well using digital effects combined with cinematography to deliver a believable world of fantasy. The film is simply beautiful. Sometimes you just want to hit the magic pause button and stare at the screen for a while. Amazing.
Make your way to the theatre and watch this film with positive expectations. It will be well worth it. Just don't expect to laugh off the seat of your pants simply because the marketing wants you to believe that. In retrospect, I see clear now that the movie was never intended to be that. But simply another fantastic world delivered by the never-disappointing Burton-Depp team. Thanks guys!… Expand

True to the original material in many ways. New and different in ways that do not detract. I thought the soundtrack was great. One of Elfmans best in fact. The look of the movie is appropriately dark and shadowy. Well done. FUN!

I like it. Very good movie. One of best Burton's movies. The story is gorgeous. very good cast, Depp is famous, this role (Barnabas Collins) is really for him

Dark shadows: Fun for the elderly, good for those between 30 and 40 years, but not very good for those under 18. Not that I did not like but when I left the cinema did not like anyone but me. In my opinion it is entertaining but little more ... The problem with this movie is that it has not used the original it was.

I'm surprised that this movie hasn't gotten better reviews. I wasn't expecting much but was very entertained throughout the whole movie. I especially liked all the bright colors/visuals. It was pure entertainment.

I did see a few of the old shows, and was unimpressed, didn't care, and was fascinated more by the young Mississippian gal who told me about it. Lifetimes passed. And, lo, the king approaches. We have a comedy. A mystery. Gothic Nightmare. Spoof. Homage. Cameos just in time. Yeah, it was a bit long and I was mostly entertained.

The worst film Tim Burton has ever directed. I sat through a gruelling 2 hours of nothing but crap. The story is an absolute mess with so many plot points scattered everywhere and some scenes are very poorly paced and are just use for padding to make the film more painfully longer. The characters, with the exception of Johnny Depp, are boring and uninteresting and most of them are utterly useless and pointless to the plot. The only redeeming quality of this film is the production design and Johnny Depp's campy performance as the vampire. Tim Burton cannot juggle this many characters and failed to develop any of them and in addition to all these characters, the story completely stumbles with scenes trying to make the characters interact but results in most of them being entirely pointless to the overall story. The film can't decide whether it is a comedy or a Gothic horror and it fails in delivering both. I thought the trailer was better than the film itself. That's just sad.… Expand

Dark Shadows sees Tim Burton retracing some of his Beetlejuice steps. It's actually pretty funny with laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout. The movie isn't perfect, however. The tone is a bit uneven; Dark Shadows never seems confident in what it wants to be. The action scenes are underwhelming, too. All in all, though, Dark Shadows is another entertaining effort from Burton & Depp.

It's not the best Burton film, but the art direction and interpretation work are excellent.

The story and characters could be better explained but the movie is simply fun.

Who else could be the better choice to direct thiz movie other than Tim Burton. The description is gothic, epic, classic, mystic, magic, comic, slapstick, frantic, scenic, antique, not yet tragic, but with no garlic! Just like his previous masterpieces such as BEETLE JUICE (1988), EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990), BIG FISH (2003) and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010). Thiz time, Tim Burton tries to bring back classic vampire tale based on the original TV series in 1970s-era. The story takes place in the year 1972, when 196-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins has just awakened in his coffin after being cursed by a cold hearted witch Angelique Bouchard who previously fell for him. Now, he arrives back in his grandiose mansion to restore his family to its former glory, what he does not know later, the world has changed a lot since his last departure. The original version looked more like a soap opera, but in Tim Burton hand it turns out to be a fresh family drama with some mysterious elements and sometimes cynical good humor. It is certainly acceptable, considering Tim Burton has done his homework for compiling 1.225 TV episodes into two-hour movie. On thiz occasion, the Director Tim Burton has also successfully gathered together all his favorite performers. Thiz is his eighth collaboration with Johnny Depp, his seventh with his real-life partner Helena Bonham Carter, his fifth with Christopher Lee and his second with Michelle Pfeiffer after her role as Catwoman in BATMAN RETURNS (1992). Have you ever seen the original Barnabas Collins which played by Jonathan Frid? If you are old enough to have a chance to see his performance previously, you probably would have realized that Johnny Depp has done a lot of efforts to portray that character through his tone of voice, his facial expression and even his gestures. Beside that, there are some other performances which have got my attention. For the umpteenth time, Chloë Grace Moretz has shown her maturity in acting, thiz time to become a rebel teen daughter. Bella Heathcote also makes a special impression as a mysterious new nanny. And Eva Green is obviously very attractive and sensual even as a ruthless witch. The rest of the Cast members are Johnny Lee Miller, Jackie Earle Haley and Gulliver McGrath, plus a special guest appearance by the legendary rock star Alice Cooper. In fact, the gang of 1970s version also make cameo appearances as the guests in the ballroom party scene, including the late Jonatahan Frid, Lara Parker, David Selby and Kathryn Leigh Scott. Thiz movie really brings us back in time to 1970s. Everything is so authentic, including the clothes, the hairstyles, the cars and even the songs. My favorite moment is when they play the song TOP OF THE WORLD by The Carpenters. Somehow, the song sounds so fresh and uplifting. It sounds pretty much like thiz, Such a feeling coming over me. There is wonder in most everything I see... It can also be precise words to describe thiz movie. Get ready for nostalgia ^_^



Visit My Blog on JONNY MOVEE: http://jonnyfendi.blogspot.com… Expand

Stole 2 hours from my life, a huge letdown. Started semi-promising but towards the end I found myself scratching the arm of my chair, I was bored, couldn't wait the movie to end. The final "battle" was absolutely chaotic and shallow. Burton seems to get to the end of dark, humorous,charcters with an English accent and elegance to put Depp in...

With Dark Shadows, Tim Burton reminds us just how good his films can be. It's not on par with Beetlejuice or Corpse Bride, but it's an extremely fun ride and almost makes up for the disappointment of Alice in Wonderland. It's visually sumptuous, with Burton's trademark gothic flair and some pleasing 70s period details, and has a solid atmospheric soundtrack from Danny Elfman, bolstered by an eclectic collection of cheesy rock, pop, soul and disco tunes. It's well-acted across the board, particularly by johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley and Chloe Grace Moretz, and a gag-laden script by Seth Grahame-Smith and an abundance of camp energy helps to make the film thoroughly enjoyable. The best scenes are in the film's first half, with vampiric aristocrat Barnabas (Depp) adjusting to the 20th century and to his highly dysfunctional family after being forcibly entombed for 200 years. The film does, however have a big problem with maintaining a consistent tone. It's dark, but would probably benefit from being either even darker, and though the horror elements have been toned down because of its low age rating, I would suggest that it's a bit too raunchy to be suitable for some of its intended audience. This raunchiness does result in a very funny supernaturally-powered sex scene between Barnabas and manipulative witch Angelique (Eva Green), but the majority of the implied sexual goings on may result in some awkward questions posed to parents by their children after seeing the film. Also, the special-effects dependent, relatively big-budget finale of the film was presumably meant to be exciting, but comes across as stupid, overblown and belonging to an entirely different film. At other points, there are scenes that appear a bit disjointed and unconnected to those that came before, and Eva Green is guilty of some wooden delivery of her lines, and an accent that alarmingly frequently changes continents. I'm not sure if Dark Shadows says much about anything below its immaculate surface, but the film remains a memorable, funny and light-hearted romp which Burton fans will love, and it proves that there is still afterlife to the relationship between the goths' director and his favourite actor.… Expand

I don't usually like Tim Burton's movies and Dark Shadows is in between. I liked it but then i didn't like it. Overall it was an ok film, and nothing more. Johnney Depp was his usual strange but comedic self in another one of his collaborations with Tim Burton, but he didn't even feel like the main character throughout. This movie was so clustered and packed with different plots and narrators. One of the main storylines which was between Barnabus and Victoria was only granted about one or two scenes and both were very brief at that. I found myself laughing quite a few times which is about the only positive i can think of from this film other than Depps performance. The ending to the film was just plain strange. It moved from one new story, to and old story, to another new story, and then back to the old one. This film was just filled with too many storylines and different narrations. Theres only two reasons why i would recomend this movie and thats if you're a Depp fan or a Tim Burton fan. If not, do not bother with this movie, even if you were a fan of the original tv series. 4/10… Expand

I came away thinking this film didn't know what it wanted to be. The trailers painted a different picture; that it was a wacky comedy it isn't, though it did draw a few laughs from time to time. Also I wonder who the target audience is, if not Depp and Burton's egos?

Despite all the flaws and difficulties imposed upon DARK SHADOWS, it certainly did have its moments. The movie itself wasnâ

Dark Shadows is a pretty good film. but i think many people were misinformed, if you guys saw the trailer you would think its a dark looking movie but its a comedy. WORD OF ADVISE: IT IS NOT A COMEDY! the trailers failed in my opinion because they advertised it as funny! and it is not, its not supposed to be. Yes there are a few laughs here and there and a few silly scenes but this movie is dark! if you think this is a little kids movie no sir it is not, they show depp (collins) killing people sucking their blood, there is somewhat adult content (no nudity) of course. it is not a little kids film. but i did enjoy this movie, the story is interesting, long story short its about this lady who is a witch! who was never loved by barnabas collins (Depp) so she curses him and his family that's it! a somewhat interesting story, a few funny scenes, some dark killing scenes. its a dark good movie. its based on a TV show, i have never seen it, but i don't think you're supposed to see it to get the movie. It stands on its own. over all i would give this a SOLID 7. not a great movie at all, and not a bad one either! all these bad reviews were given because they didn't think the movie was funny enough! solid movie specially if you love depp, and tim burton.… Expand

Probably it's not the best collaboration between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, Dark Shadows was a little more than a disappointment. The laughs were a little funny, but Eva Green sure looks smokin' hot as Angelique. Although some of the scenes were too dark with less violent a little bit, but I'm not sure if fans haven't been familiar with the short-lived soap opera cult back in the late 60's. I watched every Burton/Depp movies like Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, and Sleepy Hollow. So Dark Shadows is good, but it needs a makeover. I'll wait for a rental.… Expand

Being a huge Gothic Fan myself after seeing the film the first thing i wanna say is " Tim's adaption of the cult classic is very well acted , Directed , Effected and was humiliated by the horrible script "
The movie didn't had the much Gothic Tone and the was people dressed and acted that wasn't like 1972 . The basic story was Good but not so good and the script was unfunny was had no power at all . The actors were the best thing in the movie . Johnny's performance was very good but i thing he could do a lot better . Michelle Pfeiffer was lovely as she is always . this also apply for Eva . Chloë did her her role very well but the character was let down like all other character . Tim's Direction was better then his last but not better then his others .
One of the most amazing thing of the movie was its effect . The Cracking Witch was unbelievability Awesome .
Overall Dark Shadows is entertaining but not as funny/Horrifying as u might think !… Expand

Après le désastre qu'avait été Alice aux Pays des Merveilles, il est heureux de retrouver notre cher Tim Burton dans cet univers gothique (avec monstres et humour noir) qui lui est propre. Et avec Dark Shadows, le réalisateur reconquiert nos coeurs en nous livrant enfin un film dans lequel on retrouve enfin sa patte (superbes décors, ambiance gothique détendue, maquillages réussis, musique de Danny Elfman...) et un casting à la hauteur du projet (Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter...). Malheureusement, le film déçoit car étant beaucoup moins déjanté que la bande-annonce qui nous laissait espérer un divertissement à la Beetlejuice. Au final, Dark Shadows reste une comédie un peu légère qui ne fait qu'amuser car bien plus sérieuse que prévue et qui peut se montrer incomplet (question personnages et rapidité du dénouement). En espèrant que Burton fasse mouche avec son remake d'animation Frankenweenie!… Expand

It has many things in common with Tim Burton's earliest films (the supernatural protagonist staying with the dysfunctional family is one of them) but it felt more like an over-budgeted rehash of his early formula. Apart from the suitably gothic beginning and climax, the rest of the movie was as dull as dishwater. All the laughs the film has to offer are all in the trailer, and they fall flat over the course of almost two hours. Johnny Depp overacted, even by his standards and his character shifted too often from Barnabas the loveable vampire to Barnabas the murderer causing abrupt tonal shifts. The rest of the cast also overacted, and their characters were completely unlikable and never developed. Shame, since some of them are great in other movies. Dark Shadows is a wasted opportunity that squanders a great cast and crew, and is a surefire candidate for the worst movie of the year.… Expand

It's kinda movie that is good and weird in the same time, the story was well prepared, the actors were god too, but there is a small problem the every time they put a flashback

It's an open secret among civilians outside of Hollywood that Johnny Depp is a wildly overrated actor, and Dark Shadows stands among the most prime examples. Who told him he was funny? He is clearly his own biggest fan, as there are scenes in Dark Shadows in which he stinks of overconfidence. To be fair, we didn't actually sit through the entire film, but after 40 plus minutes our only hope was to still convince the theatre to give us a refund.… Expand

Dark Shadows takes advantage of the interesting premise. The story could have been a bit more organized and the little bit of action could have been better, but it is consistently funny throughout.

I don't know about you, but I feel that Johnny Depp is simply just going through the motions. Dark Shadows is a film with many jarring, tonal shifts. It's interesting but it's just too weird for its own good (yeah, even to a Tim Burton fan like me). One of Mr Burton's worst effort.

Haven't watched the TV show, but I think films should be all about their own merit and what they bring to the table, and from the research into the TV show of the same name, it was a classic. This film on the other hand, certainly isn't.
Dark Shadows begins with a bang, Burton takes cues from his work on his own version of Willy Wonka by showing us a small montage of where it all began, we see how Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) is madly in love with Josette (Bella Heathcote), but his recent affair with Angelique (Eva Green) reveals a truth that he may just have never wanted to find, her witchcraft skills manage to see off Barnabas's parents, and when further tragedy strikes, the evil Angelique curses our lovestruck hero, making him a vampire and subsequently burying him.
We fast forward 200 years when the vampire Barnabas is accidentally set free, much to to the dismay of Angelique who has continued to live on throughout the centuries. Unfortunately when Barnabas arrives at his former manor of Collinwood, this is where the true confusion of this flawed film sets in. Its never clear what story is being told, there are small and silly moments of comedy, there is also romance, but throw in some drama, or attempt at a dramatic piece anyway, and you do have quite a layered mess of two hours.
We are introduced to quite the ensemble of a cast, characters that are miraculously left out for the true plot of the film.
Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a convincing turn as the head of the Collins house, but for most of the film she seems to be wandering around with nothing to do. Chloe Moretz plays her daughter, the rebel and typically moody teen who again, is introduced in what could be a major plot development, but is left as an after-thought. There is just the constant feel that the film isn't going anywhere, and feels too clustered for squeezing so many characters but not giving them a story behind them.
Johnny Depp can always be relied on to give a fine performance, but for someone who is consistently a fan of the Burton/Depp collaboration, it does seem to unfortunately be waining.
There are fine sets and typically gothic Burton touches to costumes and make-up which certainly give it his stamp, but the overall pace and writing of the film feels very out of touch and was truly disappointing after the opening 15 minutes.
No amount of 70s jokes or even Barnabas's reaction to his new world could save this film from being a dull and under-developed experience.… Expand

Much "darker" than expected, Dark Shadows is a pretty good movie. A nice blend of comedy/drama/action, though I do agree with most people about the story and what it was really trying to get across. At close to 2 hours, I don't see why they couldn't touch on the love story part of it all. Really, it seems like Barnabus cared more about saving Victoria just because her life was at stake rather than anything to do with love. Other than that giant plot hole, It's a decent movie.… Expand

One must be clear this movie is great fun. Depp is a great Barnabas and played him with such cherished love that he is the star of the show. But even though there is a great central character there isn't much a central story. There are lots of plot lines but none are given that much prominence. Although there are problems, none could deny the movie's high production values and that a good thing. But all the different genres never satisfy and becomes disjointed in certain parts.… Expand

No, just no. This was the only movie i have ever walked out of. The story was bland, the acting was terrible, and it was just another copy of a vampire movie, it had the same jokes as all of the other ones, and i was very dissappointed in Tim Burton. Bad is the only word I have for this movie.

I expect Dark Shadows to be a funny loosely based comedy like 21 Jump Street. However, this movie lacks the sense of humor and it exceeds the gothic tone.

For a full review, search up the user "TNShowbiz" on YouTube, and check out my review on Dark Shadows.

This was a decent movie, and honestly it was better than I expected. The best part of the movie was the production design, costumes, and makeup. Johnny Depp did well with the material he was given, even if he did come across as rather annoying at times. The movie as a whole was funny at times, but at other times I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a comedy, a drama, or a horror movie. Overall, I think if you're a Johnny Depp or Tim Burton fan, you'll like this movie. If not, you should see something else.… Expand

Loved it. I also love the original series., and the '91 revival series. I thought this was a fresh re-telling of the franchise and I enjoyed Depp's portrayal of Barnabas...

Definitely one of the better Johnny Depp movies in recent memory. I was surprised with not only the originality but also the drama in the tragedy for it being such a light-hearted film. Definitely worth watching in my opinion.

Angels: It was not horror, exactly. Although it made me jump in parts, and it made my flesh crawl just a little. It was not camp exactly, although there was some exaggerated posturing, and ham acting. The story was interesting, and the production values excellent. But, it was Tim Burton, so it was a little gloomy, and a little macabre. It was an entertaining evening out, but I will enjoy not seeing it again. Horror films are either stupid, or scary. This was neither. Really, on so many levels, it was neither fish, nor fowl.
Angels, your voices haunt me.… Expand

While I am a big fan of Johnny Depp's work and have always been fond of Tim Burton as a visual director, Dark Shadows fails to hit the mark on several levels. Weak writing and a uncertain direction keep this film from ever really taking off. While there are a couple of pretty funny moments in the film, they do not keep this movie afloat and make it worth the price of admission. Odin's Score: 55/100. Odin's issues: While I have made clear many of the issues that I have there is one moment at the end when I turned to my friend and a shared a mutual face palm moment...I am sure most of you know the moment that I speak...it is this horrible writing moment where the movie lost me completely.… Expand

Dark Shadows is yet another ladder rung into the descent of disapointment that has become Tim Burtons career. The only thing this film is good for is a possible attraction at a theme park.

"Dark Shadows" is an oft-filmed tale of shunned-love accented by revenge. This version is largely set in 1972 when director Tim Burton was a teen so the soundtrack is basically a best of 70s hits collection. All the principal actors get to dress up in period fashion with lots of flattering makeup and hairstyles which I think really thrills the actresses. But the experience itself is something you've seen many times before unless you're only 13 which, by the way, is the maturity-level of this film.… Expand

It was great in my opinion. However I had one problem with the film and that was the things Depp normally comes out, which which can easily confuse young people, and the actors seem to mumble on occasion, making it hard to understand. Other than that it was a good film, and if you haven't already seen the film, expect many hidden suprise's...

I expect Dark Shadows to be a funny loosely based comedy and what i got was a movie that lacks everything creative. very dull which isn't characteristic of tim burton. Visually okay, acting below par.

This movie turned out quite differently than I thought it would. The story seemed rather odd, and moved strangely, but in the end I was still won over by Tim Burton's vision. It was a very nice movie to look at, and the ending totally made up for the mishaps. I enjoyed the characters too.

Although the story is simplistic and cliched, and the funny bits are lame, the film makes up for it with its technical competence and high production values.

To be honest I thought this was a comedy film. But when I saw it it was just a basic vampire story with a 1970's twist in it. It lacks from a few thing and the ending was silly. But other than that it was okay. Dark Shadows 5.7/10

this movie i watched it i loved it so funny johnny depp should make more funny roles he got good potential in comedy i laugh entire way it best movie i watch....

Sorry to say this movie stank! For the first time this year I feel cheated out of the ticket price. It's a funny thing, as I usually love Depp/Burton movies. Sorry nothing to spoil really, as all the good scenes were already put in the trailers. Watching this movie was like watching a ceiling fan, for two hours! Whollmoley what were they thinking. I will probably rent it for $1 at redbox just to see how it ended. Yes this is the first movie I walked out on in years.… Expand

Besides the fact that the movie deserved to be rated R, the movie overall was just not very appealing to anyone. I laughed at some points, but not too much. The acting was great by Depp, but this movie is not exactly worth seeing.

Unless you are a fan of Johnny Depp and/or Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Helena Bonham Carter and/or Tim Burton you will have a hard time sitting through this almost 2 hour film of â

It was quite funny and intriguing, but then things are a little bit confusing at some points of the movie, when I can't tell the main purpose of some of the characters to the story, if you get what I mean. It was terribly confusing to those who do not know about the original like me, especially from the climax up to the end. It was very well-made though, as expected from a Tim Burton film, and some actors were quite good. My exact rating is 6.5, but I'm all right with this rating.… Expand

Long time fan of the original series and loved the new movie. There are even lines lifted direct from Jonathan Frid's portrayal of Barnabas. Wonderful mash up of old and new!

This movie was interesting, but the delivery was pretty campy. The actress that plays the Witch, Eva Green, had some of the campiest and cringe worthy acting I have seen in a while. I was glad to see that Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter author Sean Graham Smith wrote the screenplay, so it had a little bit of oddness to it. Typical Burton film. It is not really worth paying full price to see in theaters, so I would wait for it to come out at Redbox or any other rental place.… Expand

Its good seeing something refreshingly campy for the summer, too bad this wasn't good camp. Dark Shadows straddles somewhere between good and bad. It boasts some fine performance and visual style, but is ultimately undone by it uneven script and bipolar direction. Considering the supernatural nature of the film the screenwriter kept things too simple for its own good, constructed under-cooked characters for the screen, and created many devices to fill his laziness in telling a good story. The characters were underdeveloped, and had sparse appearances throughout the movie, due to this we were unable care for many of them, and their revelations, by the films … Expand

I have to precede by saying that I'm a longtime fan of the original series, the movies and the revival. I found this movie to be a wonderful pastiche of old-time horror, melodrama, and gothic romance mixed with comedic moments. At times that combination was a little off balance, but overall it worked for me. Some of it was rushed because of the dense storyline. It would have been better broken into a trilogy to get the whole story in there, but it's too late now. However I hear there's about another hour of material that was cut from the theatrical release. Hopefully they will restore that on a Director's Cut DVD/blu-ray. Also, the release date was an absolutely horrible choice. And WB's mktg. dept. needs to rethink their strategies big time. This was a fun, homage and reimaging of the original. Just watching Johnny Depps' Barnabas is worth the price of the ticket. He's amazing!! Good fun!!!… Expand

This seemed cobbled together from the worst cliches of plot, characterization, and art direction. Nothing original from the first frame to the last. And the ending suggesting a sequel to come is the scariest thing in the movie.

A good movie. I've never seen the TV show, but the movie was very god and very funny. It was a nice vampire movie with a violent twist and lots of good jokes. Nice action, great humor, a few hot actresses, an okay plot, what else do you want?

It's very cheesy, with almost zero likable characters (like most hollywood films lately). During the first half maybe, I thought I could get into it as it started to take on a comedic style and worked pretty well. The second half however was a downhill tumble into some of the most retarded crap I've ever seen.

Not what I was hoping for, at all.
The first half of the movie is very slow paced (maybe a litte too slow) and makes you think the second half will have some more action and stuff going on. This didn't seem to be the case and I seriously caught myself with my eyes closed at a moment.. NOT good. There was finally something happening in the last ten minutes, but to me it just came off as bad script writing as it didn't make any sense.
I expected way more from Tim Burton.… Collapse

I liked it.. Beware, its no comedy. The trialer put it out to be one, but it was rather serious. But it still had funny parts. It gets alot of bad rap becuase of its non comedic ways, like everyone expected. But i liked this movie.

Well, I may just be an uneducated Wichitan according to Johnny Depp, but I was not impressed by this movie. Before I went to see it I thought, "Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter. What could go wrong?" Oh, it went wrong. It's very funny, I'll give it that. Depp succeeds in bringing his unique humor to the film. The problem is that I wasn't sure if this film was serious or not. Firstly, the previews did not do a very good job of representing the film as a whole. I was expecting a lot of humor, like enough to be able to take kids to go see. Instead, I found that most of the funny parts were in the previews, and in between them were unexpectedly bloody scenes (I expected a Twilight-level of blood), overly dramatic banter between the characters, and a sex scene that the seven-year-old that was with me when I saw it probably did not enjoy. Overall, I would say this is a wait-for-DVD movie all the way.… Expand

The trailer might have given sort of the wrong idea. The first half is comedic with Depp playing the fish-out-of-the-water as a vampire in the 70s, but the second half takes a slightly darker turn (it IS called Dark Shadows innit) and by the end it gets grittier and even a bit dramatic. Don't get me wrong, I liked it and it does look gorgeous. Eva Green looks stunning and does a fabulous job as the blonde antagonist who almost plays Depp off the screen. But I guess it failed at the box-office coz it feels a bit unbalanced and got misrepresented by the marketing campaign.… Expand

For lovers of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton movies, I'd suggest you stay far away from this movie. It's childish humor and terrible story line will leave you feeling so very disappointed. I suggest going back and watching some good old Sweeney Todd.

i thought it wasn't bad, but not awesome either. I love tim burton, but I think we can finally say he is going a little crazy. Although this movie isn't what I expected, it doesn't make me any less excited for his next (Abraham Lincoln vampire hunter).

You know that feeling you get when you are watching the trailer to a movie and feeling that all the funny parts were most likely just seen? That was Dark Shadows for me. I knew all the laughs that could be had in the movie arrived in that 2 min sneak but I could not resist Depp and Burton. I have definitely seen worst, don't get me wrong, but i felt myself growing bored and considering how uncomfortable my seat was as it droned on. Save it for a home rental.… Expand

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows is just another partnership between Burton, Johnie Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Nothing else. The big problem is Seth Grahame-Smith's screenplay. With its weak humor, the film doesn't know which character to follow. Another problem are the subplots, that are poorly resolved. Johnie Depp is okay as a vampire, Jackie Earle Haley and Helena Bonham Carter are good, but Eva Green delivers an over the top performance as an evil witch. At the end, Dark Shadows is a boring, poorly written film.… Expand

It started out great and was really enjoyable, and then the downward spiral began. The plot was all mixed up and it felt dragged out. I really love johnny depp and tim burton but this movie was not up to par.

Just loved this movie. I can't compare with the series because I have not seen. More good partnership between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, because there could be no better actor to play Barnabas Collins, he was so romantic and seductive as a real leech (which is their nature) and defender of his family, Michelle Pfeiffer, brilliantly played the matriarch of the Collins Chloë Moretz, an actress in the ascendant.
But my focus is on the actress Eva Green as Angelique Bouchard, I can not imagine another actress to play this villain, she did everything to win the heart of Barnabas, and most (if not all ...) of the scenes between this and Johnny Depp were to take off his hat, demonic sex scene (oh my God!), Bella Heathcote already has attracted attention due to double interpretation (Victoria Winters and Josette Dupres) and romantic symbolism carried by interpreting Victoria because Barnabas was completely glaze it for this is a reincarnation of Josette, his great love, not to mention that Johnny Depp and Bella Heathcote made it through to the public "an empathy" between the two, something that some players do not. After all this praise, we can not forget the rest of the cast: Jonny Lee Miller (Roger Collins), Jackie Earle Haley (Willie Loomis), Gully McGrath (David Collins) and wife most excellent Mr. Burton, Helena Bonham Carter (Dr. Julia Hoffman) who took a nice bite on the neck, were all excellent, an all-star cast.
Scenarios excellent, wonderful mixtures of colors, some critics say the film could have unfolded differently, but all movies are alternatives. Special attention to the soundtrack, because this was handpicked from Alice Cooper, Barry White, T. Rex, The Moody Blues, The Killers with cover Go All The Way of the Raspberries, without forget the great composer Danny Elfman. … Expand

Visually appealing and wonderfully shot Dark Shadows benefits from director Tim Burton cinematic brilliance but suffers from a thin plot and a slew of characters that one simply can not keep up with.

What happened to TIm Burton? He used to be such a great film maker. My guess is that he had a spurt of creativity in his teen years and was happy to muck around in the same stomping grounds for the rest of his life. Hollywood and the general public felt differently though. After rehashing Beetlejuice and Nightmare before Christmas to make Corpse's Bride, someone probably told Mr. Burton that people were getting tired of the same thing in slightly different packaging. It's at this point that Mr. Burton fell into the same trap that currently plagues Hollywood. The remake. Planet of the Apes was drab and had none of the Tim Burton Magic. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was just dreadful. And now we have Dark Shadows. Tim Burton doesn't seem to be able to point this piece in any direction. There's just far too much ground covered in too short a time. I had no feelings throughout the entire movie for Victoria, who's supposed to be the main love interest. They could've pulled a Sixth Sense, she's been dead the whole time, and no one would've blinked or cared. And why must all Tim Burton movies star Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter? They're both good actors, but please get some other people in there. Did they sign some sort of life long contract? If they had removed the whole vampire being confused by modern day shtick, they may have been able to tell a decent story. Or go the other direction and go for pure comedy. This movie is muddled and confused. If you're aching for some Burton/Depp magic, go watch Edward Scissorhands for the hundredth time.… Expand

I'm not sure why people all seem to give this movie a bad review. Maybe they were expecting this to be a masterpiece like some of the other Tim Burton movies starring Johnny Depp. Is this Edward Scissorhands? No. Is this The Nightmare Before Christmas? No. Is this Sleepy Hollow? No. Is this a light comedy by Tim Burton starring Johnny Depp as a Vampire come back from the grave who says many funny things because he is only aware of things from the Victorian Age? Yes. If you like Johnny Depp and you want to see him say funny things in an old English accent when he misinterprets things in modern society then you will enjoy this film. The film does seem to move in multiple directions, never really landing on one, maybe that is why people find it weird. Is it a comedy? Action? Soap Opera? A bit of all of the above? -- Probably. Anyway, I saw it in the theater and I enjoyed it enough that I don't feel I wasted my time and money (a major feat these days with all the bad movies I've seen lately). I give it an 8/10… Expand

For the first time in history, I fell asleep during an act in the movie. Not sure if it was the movie's fault or not, but it happened. Well yeah, the movie did have something to do with it in some ways. This is a pretty bizarre movie, but unfortunately, in a rather dismal way as its unconventionality just dosen't hit home compared to other unconventional mainstream films. The movie was mediocre amd utterly forgettable, and the fact that the source material was based on a soap opera was pretty evident, as the script just dosen't work well to translate the soap opera elements to the screen.… Expand

I must say Johnny Depp didn't quite live up to my expectations. He did very well, humorous yet mysterious (which is very hard for an actor to do). I thought it was a bit too long, though. I was feeling kinda exhausted at the end.

I generally like Tim Burton as well as Johnny Depp. This movie was no exception. It is a dark (of course with Tim Burton) comedy with some hint of action/thriller in it. I would not really characterize it as a horror movie even though there are a vampire as well as a witch and a werewolf in it. Of course there is the romance stuff but I personally feel that is really more of a background or justification to the plot than anything else.

This is not a magnificent movie but it… Expand

There are plenty of flaws to this Dark Shadows, such as uneven plot and character usage. But, Depp plays a most excellent Barnabas Collins and is a vampire that is not afraid to use his very being and powers to get what he wants. Something few vampire movies successfully utilize. Fans of the TV show will undoubtedly be upset with what a two hour film tries to sum up in a thousand episode television show. But for someone new to the series as a whole, i walked away pleasantly surprised and charmed with what Burton and Depp were able to pull off.… Expand

I love Johnny Depp & although he's great as usual I was rather disappointed by the film as a whole. Easy enough to watch but feel it needed more comedy elements..

While the movie did have a good premise, Dark Shadows fails. Not terribly, but enough so that it is only deemed mediocre by myself and by my family. The story isn't rich enough, the screenplay is okay. This screams nothing special. And for that, my diagnosis would be to see it. Just know, this isn't like Sweeney Todd or some other great Burton movie.

It is neither a horror flick nor a campy comedy. Besides a couple of fun special effects and some jokes about the 70s, the pace is slow, there is no character development, the plot is ludicrous and goes nowhere, and there are no thrills. The old TV soap opera at least was fun and the 90s TV series had bite. In this remake, even Alice Cooper's performance is lackluster. I wasted 2 hours plus the $1.30 I paid to Redbox.… Expand

This movie is a curious one. It can't seem to decide if it wants to be a horror or a comedy. And no, it can't seem to be both, for some weird reason. If anything, this movie would have worked allot better as a pure horror movie. The comedy just feels forced and out of place. Allot of interesting ideas floating about that just don't get realized. Bottom line, it's poorly written and perhaps Burton's biggest blunder to date. BUT, it does have quite a few saving graces. Some excellent performance from Michelle Pfeiffer Jackie Earle Haley. Depp is also pretty decent, but doesn't really do anything we haven't already seen from him before. Eva Green is just utterly breathtaking and plays her role magnificently. Special effects are, mostly, top notch and some great set pieces. Overall: An OK movie that is generally OK but perhaps a little subpar to Burton's usual standards.… Expand

Movies with potential need to stop screwing themselves over. This was interesting and decent for a while but due to lame plot twists and poor story development with bad jokes it turns out a very pretty piece of crap.

Good special effects, but not much else. I felt like they crammed four hours of dialogue and story into two hours. The story felt rushed, and I got bored. There wasn't much time for plot character development. Enjoyable, but I won't be watching this again.

Another movie that Tim Burton chose to go with his style over the substance of a good movie. I understand that these talented actors had to act a certain way for this movie, but the acting made this movie even more boring.

Oh Johnny, The Tourist was better then this. Tim, Alice and Wonderland was a masterpiece. What the F%#K was this. Unfunny the only funny moments were probably in the trailer or the first 8 minutes. Please this won an award for best comedy. The audience and I laughed more at "Madeas Whitness Protection". God, that should've won instead this, eh still a better plot then Avatar. I actually enjoyed Twilight more.… Expand

It wasn't terrible, I guess. This movie was slow and I felt like I was missing some important information about the back story. I also felt this movie was represented as more of a comedy when it wasn't. One thing I did enjoy was Johnny Depp's lines. I liked how they kept him proper. In all, this movie is very forgettable and I won't remember most of it in the morning.