X
- 2012
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 53 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 53 m
Summary In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master...
Directed By: Tim Burton
Written By: Seth Grahame-Smith, John August, Dan Curtis
- 2012
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 53 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- Warner Bros.
- 1 h 53 m
Dark Shadows
55
5.9
Where to Watch
Summary In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master...
Directed By: Tim Burton
Written By: Seth Grahame-Smith, John August, Dan Curtis
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
55
36% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
62% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 42 Critic Reviews
55
36% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
62% Mixed
26 Reviews
26 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Dark Shadows isn't among Mr. Burton's most richly realized works, but it's very enjoyable, visually sumptuous and, despite its lugubrious source material and a sporadic tremor of violence, surprisingly effervescent.
May be too light for vampire purists or fans of the original show, but fresh blood is just what the doctor ordered.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 494 User Ratings
5.9
42% Positive
207 Ratings
207 Ratings
41% Mixed
203 Ratings
203 Ratings
17% Negative
84 Ratings
84 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 494 User Ratings
5.9
42% Positive
207 Ratings
207 Ratings
41% Mixed
203 Ratings
203 Ratings
17% Negative
84 Ratings
84 Ratings
It's one of Tim's and Depp's best picture. I really liked it, and it's one of my favourite comedies. Do not miss it guys!!! And first of all: Do not hear to anyone who says that it's a bad and horrible picture!! It's a masterpiece!!!
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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....
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It offers wonderful things, but they aren't what's important. It's as if Burton directed at arm's length, unwilling to find juice in the story.
The film is best when it focuses on Barnabas's culture shocks in this brave new world. Depp has fun with the character's bafflements without camping it up. What's missing overall is the sense of fun Burton once evinced in films like "Beetlejuice."
So Depp summons every type of behavior Burton requires: heroism, zaniness, longing, wit, ferocity, sexuality, icy resolve. Had they stuck to one or two of these, we might have had a terrific film.
Dark Shadows sinks its teeth half-way into its potentially meaty material but hesitates to go all the way.
Dark Shadows doesn't know where it wants to dwell: in the eerie, subversive penumbra suggested by its title or in playful, go-for-broke camp.
A very uneven movie. The cast is great and the performances are pretty amusing, though they're nothing special. Depp doesn't really stretch his acting chops, but he still gives a very entertaining performance and plays off the stunning Eva Green pretty well. This is definintely not a great movie, I wouldn't even call it good, but the atmosphere and the characters are really enjoyable and charming. Overall it's a fun watch.
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As a Tim Burton fan, it pains me to see him producing films like this. It's unfunny nonsense, not funny enough to be called a comedy, not creepy or well-thought-through enough to do its source material any justice, but definitely nonsensical and illogical enough to make you think you've wasted your time. It's so frustrating. Everyone involved here is capable of so much better.
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A schlocky and unrelentingly dumb film in which witch Eva Green literally rips her beating heart out to give to vampire Johnny Depp, Dark Shadows is a major misfire by Tim Burton. Presented as a horror-comedy, Dark Shadows is neither scary nor funny, rather it is merely an absurd take on both. Though featuring good special effects, Dark Shadows fails in nearly every other category as it is unfunny, unscary, ludicrous, and poorly acted. Admittedly quite campy, Dark Shadows is hardly any fun either, opting instead to follow a silly love revenge plot instead of exploring its characters or the fact that we are watching vampires and witches at all.
Dark Shadows is equivalent to being bitten by a vampire and having the blood slowly drained from you. From a compelling beginning and menacing entrance by Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), the film devolves into becoming a weird romance film between Barnabas and Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). Angelique, who has cursed the Collins family because Barnabas would not love her, is seductively portrayed by Green. Burton plays up her sex appeal with her ripping open her shirt, throwing herself at Barnabas, and sporting a low-cut red dress to entice Barnabas. Though these fail, it does highlight her manipulative and **** ways as a character and makes her a compelling foe. Barnabas, meanwhile, is a fish out of water and the film hardly tries to break these cliches. After sleeping for two centuries, he struggles to acclimate to 1970s Maine, which is hardly funny because this storyline has been played out far too much for it to seem funny. The relationship between Barnabas and Angelique is also far too much with an off-the-wall (literally) sex scene, while also lacking any chemistry whatsoever. Depp's rigid and lifeless performance hardly saves anything either with his out-of-touch character's out-of-touchness scoring zero laughs.
In the supporting roles, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, and Chloe Grace Moretz, all ham it up to varying effectiveness. Pfeiffer is fine, Carter is decent, and Moretz is horrible. Losing all of her luster after a tremendous performance in (500) Days of Summer, Moretz plays the role of the young Carolyn Stoddard very poorly. Her performance would be more up to far in a terrible teen werewolf romance television show, as opposed to a feature film. If this were Twilight, Moretz may be a small reprieve acting-wise, but here, she is lost. Instead, she just plays the snobbish and **** teenage daughter unconvincingly.
The writing does not save anything either, nor do the editing or direction. With zero flow between the scenes, Dark Shadows' characters are ineffectual and its plot far too simplistic to hold your attention for more than two seconds. If you watch this in spurts between checking your phone, you would be shocked to find out you missed nothing. Rather than exploring its mythology at all or even its characters, Dark Shadows plays on the soap opera roots of its source material by focusing on the romance. This can be fine and acceptable if the romance had any spark. Instead, one is revenge-filled and the other is "destiny" because **** who looks similar to one Barnabas did love. Both lack a proper build-up or chemistry and are incredibly shorthanded. They lack intrigue or emotion whatsoever with the characters languishing behind layers of make-up that make them appear entirely lifeless. The end result is a romance that seems unbelievable and forced.
The only saving grace of the film is the production and costume design. Burton may be losing his touch in the director's chair, but he still has not lost his gothic roots. With excellent design features in the home of the Collins family, Burton creates a lavish and exquisitely setting for his characters. The costumes match this perfectly with the characters oddly never clashing between the gothic nature of the home and the modern world surrounding it and reflected in their clothing. In this way, Dark Shadows effectively creates a mysterious and ominous atmosphere that feels both 18th Century gothic and modern at the same time, which is a clear achievement of the film that is never loses itself in this clash of visual styles. This is highlighted especially in Carolyn's room. Carpeted and covered in posters of bands, the room is undeniably a teenage girl's room. Yet, the carpet runs into the stone floor right outside, which creates an interesting visual dichotomy that oddly does work. It is odd to look at, but the film allows both the modern and past elements to blend perfectly.
A mess plot-wise and character-wise and acting-wise, Dark Shadows is a misfire from Tim Burton and crew. It is not scary nor is it funny, which is disappointing given the campy approach taken by the actors and Burton. Yet, the film fails to deliver the goods throughout. That said, excellent costume and production design give the film a striking visual appearance. Burton also knows visuals very well
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Production Company
Warner Bros.,
Village Roadshow Pictures,
Infinitum Nihil,
GK Films,
The Zanuck Company,
Dan Curtis Productions,
Tim Burton Productions,
Village Roadshow Pictures
Release Date May 11, 2012
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Every Family Has Its Demons
Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
• 4 Nominations
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Nominations
Kids' Choice Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
