This is an interesting discussion, and I thank everyone for pitching in their thoughts. A few more of my own:
1) Regarding Josette and Vicki- in my (rather long
) post from yesterday I didn't meant to try to claim that Josette wasn't involved in Vicki's actions. But rather, what I was trying to say was that I don't feel that Vicki was being possessed or put under a spell by Josette, and that I felt that she was in control of her own actions. I think that the flashbacks were meant to show that Vicki (or I guess I should say Maggie) always felt close to Josette- even as a child, she considered her as a companion rather than an entity that she was afraid of. Even when Maggie was locked up, Josette was her only companion. I think that she always felt this strong connection to Josette, even if she didn't always fully understand why, until the end when I think it must've all come together for her and she realized/remembered that she
was Josette. So sure, I think that Josette led her, and even demonstrated how to fall a couple of times, but I still feel that the decision was Vicki's to make. I do agree that this could've all been conveyed better in the film, and perhaps I am making these leaps because of my past familiarity with the characters.
2) I wish that Laura's character would've been brought out slightly more in the film, but on the second viewing I did realize that they refer to her a lot more than I caught onto on the first viewing. There were the things I mentioned yesterday- that it is Laura who leads David to find Barnabas in his coffin, and it is Laura who tells David to tell Barnabas where Vicki is. But there is also David in the sheet, multiple mentions at the beginning to both Vicki and Barnabas that David thinks he sees/talks to his mother, and there is the conversation at the shore between Barnabas and Vicki. So there is a lot there already. I might be in the minority here, but I don't think that I would've wanted to see David and Laura chatting. I'd rather that be kept a mystery, and not really know if David is really talking to her or if he's just imagining it all.
3) Regarding Julia's "treatment" of Barnabas, I second MB's thoughts on this. Julia's first reaction to finding out that Barnabas is a vampire is anger- she can't believe that Liz would endanger the family by letting a vampire stay under their roof. Liz vouches for him, but more importantly she plants the seed that he could be an interesting case for her to study. I don't think that really occurred to her until Liz suggested it, but once she did, Julia started to realize the potential of what might be in it for her. Once she and Barnabas had their conversation about the curse of vampirism vs. aging and dying, I think she was sold on the idea of totally trying to use him to her own purposes (immortality and youth). I don't think she ever really cared that much about curing him, per se. Personally, I can accept that this is a different Julia than the one we know, and as much as I loved the OS Julia and her quest to cure Barnabas, I'm okay with this being a different take. Oh, and as for whether her subplot should've even been in the film at all, I'm okay with it and don't feel it's out of place. It serves to show (even if too briefly) that Barnabas had a hope of a "monster becoming a man", and having that reduplicated when he wants to be with Vicki (when he storms into the lab and discovers her treating herself, he is coming in to beg her to work harder to cure him). It also shows him being used yet again, and losing hope in his situation.
4) About Barnabas walking around in the day- in this incarnation, Barnabas was able to be outdoors as long as his skin wasn't directly exposed to sunlight, and I don't think that Julia's treatments (or lack thereof) had any bearing on that. I don't have a problem with him being able to walk outside during the day- even Dracula could walk outside during the day, as I recall, but he was just weakened. But I really wish they had added even a sentence or two about this, just to make it make more sense. In one of the interviews with Johnny that I read, he mentioned that he liked the idea of having to use heavy sunblock. This agrees with all the theories that popped up when we saw the first photos from the filming, and it explains why his makeup looked even more exaggerated outdoors than indoors. But there was never any mention of it in the film, and I wonder if something got edited out. They could've just said that just like the supposed allergy to silver, he had an allergy to sunlight too. I mean, how do they explain to the family that Willie needs to stand there holding an umbrella over Barnabas? I am just guessing that the audience is supposed to assume that this all happened offscreen. In some ways, I think it's better not to spell out every single detail, because then it makes a film tedious if it keeps stating the obvious too many times. But there is a balance, and they probably could've just clarified this a bit better- like I said, even a sentence or two might've done the trick.
Sorry, I've gotten long-winded again!