If you've seen the trailers, then you've pretty much seen the movie already. The trailers cover the movie from start to finish, and I know that some of our discerning members have parsed the scenes to determine plot details already. I will try not to give away too much information about the plot itself (save for my remarks on the film's conclusion, which I'm putting in a separate spoiler box).
I would guess that The Powers That Be drew from the original series, the 1991 series,
House of Dark Shadows, and
The Salem Branch in developing the script. There are a number of inside references that will please the fans (I wonder if somebody on the inside read some of our Magtoria conversations here on this board). I was quite surprised by what I considered to be some of the more obscure allusions to events from the pre-Barnabas episodes. I am touched and tickled to see so much DS heritage fitted into the new movie, but at the same time, I can't help thinking some of the references were a bit too much of a stretch, to the point of confusing naive viewers (for example, [spoiler]
we would get a kick out of the references to Laura, [/spoiler] but since those hints aren't really developed into the plot of the movie, they just hang in the ether to perplex the newbies).
The look of the film is breathtaking. The set of Collinsport looks so much like downtown Newport. The design of the mansion echoes Seaview Terrace with its tower and solarium, and the sets of the house's interior (particularly the statuary) are beautiful. I also enjoyed the use of contemporary music to anchor the story in its setting. (Although, I admit it was a bit of a trip to hear "Crocodile Rock" at the Blue Whale!) The production values of this film are top-notch. The rest is another matter.
It's no secret that I resented the idea of another DS remake. I went to the movie not really wanting to see it, not expecting to like it, and not really wanting to like it. And yet, when I heard Robert Cobert's music cue (about 5 notes from "The Seance") playing over the opening credits, I started to thaw, and for the next 15 minutes of the movie, I really did find myself enjoying it. I even sat with a big smile on my face as "Nights in White Satin" soared over the image of Vicki's train chugging to Collinsport against the credits.
The 1700s prologue is delightful, but much too brief for my taste. We get a Reader's Digest run-down of the events that led Barnabas to vampirism. Some of the staples we're used to, such as little Sarah or the music box, are missing, but we get the basics of what happened to bring about the Collins family's downfall. I thought it was an interesting twist to show that Angelique's fascination for Barnabas began in childhood. The roots of her obsession go very deep, but I can't really grasp
why she is so hung up on Barnabas. Unless additional material was added after the preview screening, I saw only one scene of Barnabas and Angelique kissing, followed by him telling her, regretfully, that he doesn't love her. It's enough to establish the idea of her unrequited love for him, but I would have liked just a little more to flesh out their bad romance (e.g., a montage of Barnabas with various different ladies, or a scene of Barnabas and Angelique in a more compromising position to emphasize why she would be put out with him).
Vicki's arrival at Collinwood and introduction to the family also play very well, with just the right touches of subtle humor here and there, and a great deal of suspense. How I wish this tone had been maintained for the rest of the picture!
Alas, those were the very best moments of the film. Once Barnabas is released from the coffin, the movie becomes a farce filled with silly fish-out-of-water and uncomfortable sex jokes. There are moments of Tim Burton's patented, stylized cartoon violence to represent "horror," and a handful of dramatic character-driven scenes are scattered throughout the film mainly toward its conclusion), but for the most part, DS is a comedy and an uneven one at that. Most of the characters (usually Elizabeth or Willie) get at least one snappy line of dialogue and the montage of Barnabas trying to find a place to sleep was semi-cute, but David's line about Carolyn touching herself, and the scene between Barnabas and Julia made me cringe. Generally, I don't like off-color jokes, and these scenes felt particularly out of place in something called "Dark Shadows." The shark-jumping moment for me was the sheer ridiculousness of Barnabas and Angelique's wild aerial sex scene; it actually made me feel embarrassed to call myself a DS fan, lest I be associated with the stupidity of this movie.
I didn't have much of a problem with the pacing of the movie. I just didn't find the story (cannery wars; an 18th century vampire learns to be hip) very compelling. The plot seemed to take a backseat to putting Barnabas in as many comical situations as possible. I could not shake the feeling that I was watching a parody of "Dark Shadows." Depp's performance feels like an imitation of Frid; he's got the look and the speech patterns down, but he acts like such a bufoon. Honestly, I would rather watch Darryl Schaffer.
The ball sequence featuring Alice Cooper feels out of place and ostentatious. It's like seeing a celebrity's name and "GUEST STARRING..." in giant letters at the start of your favorite TV show. The inclusion of a real-life person pulled me out of the sense that I was in a gothic fantasy world (and as we know, one of DS's charms was how it managed to eschew the "real world") and disrupted my interaction with the movie. True, the party gives us a chance to see the original actors again, but their cameo is bittersweet. KLS gets the only line. Poor Jonathan Frid appears so frail; David Selby, Lara Parker, and Kathryn look like they're propping him up (at the time I watched the scene, I had no idea Frid would be leaving us within the month). Still, it was kind of Burton and Depp to honor them by including them in the film and I imagine this will be enough to pull in viewers who are on the fence about the movie.
The actors, most of whom are very high-profile and pedigreed, were a mixed bag. I was very impressed with Bella Heathcote and Gulliver McGrath, relative newcomers, but less so with some of the more famous actors whose portrayals I was anticipating.
McGrath does a fair job of playing David. He's nowhere near as disturbed as David Henessy, but he intrigued me. I really would have loved to see more from him in this film, especially since he is ostensibly the cause of Vicki coming to Collinwood. Also, since he becomes more important toward the end of the film, giving his character a bigger build-up would have given that scene more impact. Above all, I would have liked to see at least one scene of him and Vicki having a one-on-one conversation, either in the context of a lesson or as a discussion of David's experiences with the supernatural (maybe he could share a message he's had from his mother). Instead, the movie follows the form of the post-Barnabas episodes where we never see Vicki do any teaching, just wandering the grounds looking for David.
The character of Vicki was the most interesting aspect of the movie to me because the depiction of her was totally different from what we've seen before. From her first appearance, she creates a sense of mystery and tension, for the viewer cannot guess what her real intentions are. This Vicki is very savvy and crafty beneath her schoolgirl looks (and BTW, there is an explanation for her slightly out-moded fashion sense). Looking forward to the revelation of her backstory was the only thing that kept me invested in the movie.
Jackie Earle Haley's Willie Loomis is also completely different from John Karlen's portrayal, but I didn't mind that. I enjoyed the character for the smart-alecky comic relief he provided. With his gruff, deadpan delivery and some of the best lines in the movie, Willie was one of my favorite characters in the film. He doesn't share Barnabas's confidence or friendship, but he's not exactly Barnabas's whipping boy either.
By far, the most well-drawn and well-acted character was Michelle Pfeiffer's Elizabeth. She is a very strong figure like the Liz who commanded Collinwood in the pre-Barnabas episodes. There's also a mercenary quality about her that I loved: she's not really concerned about having a vampire under her roof so long as he helps pay the bills. Rather than Julia, Elizabeth becomes Barnabas's confidante and protector, making excuses for his eccentricities and anachronistic
faux pas and generally trying to help him adjust to his new century. The partnership makes clear sense, for they are united in their love for the Collins family.
On the other hand, I took an instant dislike to Helene Bonham Carter's Julia. The character is blowsy and acerbic from her first appearance. She does have one nice scene with Vicki, but otherwise she completely lacks the grace of Grayson Hall's Julia. As I watched the film, I tried to remind myself that HBC's Julia was her own creation and no refection on the original, but I couldn't help comparing her to "our" Julia and wincing as I pondered how my friends in the Legion might react to her unsympathetic (and at times bawdy) portrayal. Her relationship with Barnabas is radically different from what we're used to seeing, although her motives for working with him make sense for this character. Julia's arc follows that of the character in HODS, and I'd have to say that is as it should be. I don't see her and Barnabas becoming a dynamic duo, in spite of the movie's postscript.
Chloe Grace Moretz is hot stuff right now, and I was expecting great things from her Carolyn. However, I was not blown away. It's nothing against her; she does exactly what she's supposed to do with the role. Her Carolyn is a realistic adolescent in the vein of pre-Barnabas Carolyn--moody, hostile, and sarcastic, with a sensuality about her as well. I simply don't care for moody, bratty teenage characters.
My biggest disappointment was with Eva Green. I had seen her in a couple of other movies prior to DS and heard favorable reviews of her work from others, so I had high hopes for her Angelique. However, I didn't like the way the character was written, nor the way she was played. Gothick made a post a couple of months ago that I thought was right on target:
what is it with the evolution of the Angelique character into a psychotic slag with super-powers? On the series, she was also a character with a lot of shadings and nuances and layers. Yeah, Barnabas always ranted about how eee-vil she was, but we (the audience) got to see some of her doubts, her questionings, and even her desire for love as opposed to her obsessive need to have Barnabas come crawling to her on his hands and knees.
One of my complaints at the screening was how Angelique lacked nuance or even a clear motivation for her actions. She's essentially a comic book villain. All she needs is a mustache she can twirl while she ties Barnabas to the railroad tracks. Green did not impart to me any sense of sympathy or depth. Furthermore, her voice grated on my nerves: it constantly varies from a gutteral
Exorcist-demon rasp to an almost twangy, GCB drawl. It's a superficial point, but it really raised my hackles. As one of the pillars of the film and one of the most monolithic figures in the original series, this character required much more. Admittedly, Angelique was one of my least-favorite characters from the TV show because I saw her as an obsessed, sociopathic juggernaut, but that was due to Lara Parker's artful performance. Angelique had her vulnerable side too. In this case, I despised the character because she seemed pointlessly villainous than because she roused my passions.
I think the biggest missed opportunity was Jonny Lee Miller's Roger. On the TV show, Roger was a snob renowned for his cutting dialogue, but in the film, most of the snarky lines go to Carolyn and Willie. Roger, unfortunately, is left with very little to do. He doesn't serve a real purpose (his characters' traditional functions have been delegated to others) and I got the sense that the PTB really didn't know what to do with him (as evidenced by what ultimately happens to the character) and only put him in the film because he was part of the original canon. It's unfortunate because Miller is really capable of so much more than he was given. Such is the downside of trying to pack so many characters and so much history into one 2-hour movie!
I don't know how the final cut played out, but the ending of the film felt even more rushed than the prologue. SGS drops the kitchen sink on the audience by shoe-horning [spoiler]a pitchfork-wielding mob, supernatural combat among a closeted werewolf, a witch, a ghost, and a vampire and a conflagration (and boy, was it sad to see Collinwood and all of its portraits burn) into the last few minutes of the movie. My head was
spinning!
I thought the revelation about Carolyn came out of nowhere (although I guess David's lewd comment about hearing her make noises in her room was intended to be a set-up for this) and I didn't catch what Angelique said to Elizabeth about this. Was Carolyn bitten as a child, or was her father a werewolf?
While it was nifty to see Laura make an appearance, I thought she was little more than a
deus ex machina. Exactly what powers does she have that would allow her to defeat Angelique? Could any old ghost take her on, or is Laura special because she is a phoenix? Again, it would have been really nice to hear David talking to Vicki about what he knows or believes about his mother.[/spoiler]
The very end of the movie was ambiguous in the preview screening, but as I interpreted it, the ending was a dark twist right out of Edgar Allen Poe [spoiler]and "Ligeia" with Josette's spirit taking over Vicki's now-vampiric body! If I'm right, this scene adds a layer of poignancy and chill to everything that came before. To think that rather than acting as a benevolent spirit guide, Josette's ghost spent all these years grooming little Vicki, befriending her, even causing her to be institutionalized, all so that she could take control when the time was right! It's a dark, gothic conclusion, tragic for poor, used Vicki, and yet so satisfying.[/spoiler] Please, can someone verify if I was right about the way this played out?
As an aside, I had couple of minor nagging thoughts and questions after watching the preview screening. I'd love to know if any of them were cleared up by the final cut. First of all, where does the present Collins family come from? I didn't see that Barnabas had any siblings in the hi-speed prologue. Did another cousin come over from England to perpetuate the dynasty?
Secondly, I would have loved to see Barnabas adjust to the idea of the United States of America as a separate country. When he went into the coffin, people who lived in the wilds of Massachussetts (not Maine) served the King of England. I would think the biggest change he would face in 1972 would be America's independence and status as a world power. The story of "Rip van Winkle" to which Barnabas's predicament has been compared, is a story about the difference between life in the American colonies and life in the American nation. That's a big deal to overlook. Imagine Barnabas coming to grips with the history of the 196 years that he missed: instead of Karen Carpenter, he could have watched a performance of Paul Revere and the Raiders and believed that those were the fellows who drove out the redcoats.
We have talked at length about what motivated Burton & Depp to take the direction they did with the film (and I do place the responsibility on the producer and director. Depp optioned the property and chose Burton to direct, so they must have been on the same page creatively; I believe August and Grahame-Smith were just doing what they were told). Timing, marketability and profitability were all guiding forces, I'm sure. Still, I have a hard time understanding how two long-term fans--who presumably are aware of what a multi-facted property DS is--could reduce it to a comedy and choose to present this version to the world as "Dark Shadows." Given B&D's self-proclaimed love for the show, the high-caliber cast and crew, and the inclusion of original actors, I had expected a respectful treatment of DS, and I don't believe this is it. As I told another cousin privately, I feel betrayed as a DS fan, but also as a regular movie viewer. If this were an independent vampire comedy, I still wouldn't like it. Moreover, I resent the movie for making me like it in the beginning and then switching gears on me.
Two-and-a-half stars.
ProfStokes
Topic: Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!! (Read 348687 times)