Dark Sahdows?

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 5/11/12 at 3:09pm

Has anyone got to see Tim Burton's new movie Dark Shadows? How is it?

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 6:28pm

I saw it this morning and really was disappointed. The trailer/commercials had significantly lowered my expectations, but I didn't think it would be as bad as it was.

The have gutted the property of anything that made the show endearing. It is Dark Shadows in name only. There is no connective tissue, other than character names, to tie this to the source material.

Aside from that it's just a poorly constructed film. It starts out as Victoria's story, but quickly drops her once Barnabas is introduced. There is almost no plot. It's basically a series of jokes about how Barnabas is shocked by life in the 70s. We've seen this story many times before, and done much better. Plus it has little to do with the Dark Shadows brand. This isn't even a fun spoof like The Brady Bunch movie. I was happy for it to be over.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 7:11pm

You just convinced me that my original suspicions were correct. Why bother, as you say?

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 9:22pm

I have a friend who is a big Johnny Depp fan, I text her after she saw it to see what she thought she said "Let Down".

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 9:53pm

It sounds like the studio stopped after the casting and the "pitch."

Someone forgot to write a script and a story.

Mere details when you're spending millions and millions of dollars. It's not like anybody should have remembered the writing.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/12/12 at 10:07pm

Maybe if this underperforms, Burton will have to put some serious thought into redefining his aesthetic, rather than "re-booting" (God how I hate that meaningless term) it over and over.

Time to evolve, Tim.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 1:05am

The script was done by Seth Grahame Smith known for novelizing previous works (that are found in the public domain) or known people with a **twist** such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. Not sure if he is to blame or that he took the work just to make a big step into feature film, Burton is letting him do Beetle Juice 2.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 3:34am

Saw it last night. It started out decent, and I thought the story seemed promising after the prologue, but it went downhill from there. It was dumb and devoid of any wit or humor. The whole thing just a disappointment. I would definitely NOT recommend spending money to see this.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 3:35am

The script was done by Seth Grahame Smith known for novelizing previous works (that are found in the public domain) or known people with a **twist** such as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. Not sure if he is to blame or that he took the work just to make a big step into feature film, Burton is letting him do Beetle Juice 2.

If the movie has no real plot, as others have said, then he's to blame.

Updated On: 5/13/12 at 03:35 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 4:30am

The plot was just beyond stupid IMO.

[romantico]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 10:10am

There were SO MANY plot holes in this.I mean, the film was so slow at times I literally heard people in the audience sighing and fidgeting.All the jokes in the film got barely a laugh. It was really sad.

I was looking forward to it. I LOVED MARS ATTACKS and that film got horrible reviews. I just loved it because it was so over the top and camp and just fun.I thought maybe this film would be the same.The ending went on way too long and this dumb twist they put in was just stupid.The thought that Burton has hired the screenwriter to do another film just goes to show ANYONE can write a screenplay I guess.

DARK SHADOWS was lazy. I swear,they made the story up as they went a long. Depp was amusing and the cast was fine,but they could only do so much with what they had to work with. The look and costumes and sets and art direction was great but that was it (my friend said to me the real star of the movie was the house, Collin Manor) I am convinced Burton just doesn't care any more. He worse than George Lucas IMO.

I was thinking about taking a friend to an afternoon matinee nest week but to be honest, I don't think I could sit through it again.

Updated On: 5/13/12 at 10:10 AM

[nmartin]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 6:28pm

I just got back from that thing. It is not just bad. It is horrible. Wildy conflicting tone.
The only decent performance is Christopher Lee and he's only in it about 90 seconds.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 6:39pm

Apparently it's already quite heavily underperforming--especially on a massive budget--although it is doing well overseas where I know Depp is one, if not the top box office draw in American films.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 9:33pm

[i]If the movie has no real plot, as others have said, then he's to blame.[/i]

I am just wondering how much of it was really him. He has a schtick that actually could have worked well for this, even if it was a tonal departure from the original series. Plus it was only a decade ago SGS was writing for History's Mysteries on the History Channel while Burton was at the peak of his power, who is really going to win out in what makes the final draft?

[SNAFU]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 9:35pm

Or it very well could both be equally responsible.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 9:37pm

That too.

Hopefully Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will be mindless fun and give Ben Walker a much deserved boost in profile.

[fflagg]

Posted: 5/13/12 at 11:44pm

Awful. And the cameos were ridiculous. How come the TV actors were given NO lines to speak?

The tone of the film is totally different than the TV show; at times, it is a comedy and at times a drama with special effects that we have seen elsewhere.

Sucked.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/14/12 at 12:40am

I dunno, it may be an unfair biason my part, but Burton and Depp have said they've been thinking of making a movie based on a show they claim to love for years, before a screenwriter was even hired.

[jamiekennywicked]

Posted: 5/14/12 at 9:21am

I got to see this yesterday. I was not familiar with the original T.V series, Helena Bonham Carter being the main reason I went to see it. I really don't know what to think. The whole thing semmed improvised with so many "Wait, what?" moments (the warewolf daughter, which after the transformation there was nothing about). I thought the cast were fine. Did anyone else think Helena Bonham Carter looked amazing in her whole get up? I'll admit, I thought she was the saving grace.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 7:23am

Maybe it was because my expectations were lowered a bit, but I enjoyed the movie. I feel like the reviews were way too harsh. It's at 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I feel like 60% would be more fair. The knives were definitely out for Burton after Alice in Wonderland.

Considering that the actors don't have a ton to work with on the page, I thought the performances were all quite strong. Eva Green is sexy as hell, and she drips with attitude. Bonham Carter has fun aping Grayson Hall. Chloe Moretz is amusing. Michelle is solid, though she can only do so much with the part because she has to be "the matriarch." I liked Depp's performance fine.

It's a great movie to look at. The sets are incredible. The romance between Barnabas and Josette/Victoria is undercooked, but it didn't bother me much. I basically agree with the review below. However, I felt that the final showdown was satisfying enough.

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/05/review-ish-dark-shadows/

[broadway86]

Posted: 5/24/12 at 12:03pm

I think it's a little unfair to call this awful. Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were completely uninspired, and the production design for both was nauseating.

I liked Dark Shadows. Yes it would have been wonderful to spend more time with the characters, and it's true that some of the subplots don't go anywhere. But it's one of the only Burton films in a decade that feels like he actually cared. It's undeniably weird and unique, right to the core.

And aside from the atmosphere and overall aesthetics, Depp and especially Eva Green are worth seeing for their delicious and enthusiastic performances. Chloe Moretz, Jonny Lee Miller, and the young actor playing David aren't given much to do.