Dark Shadows
2012
***
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Bella Heathcote
In 1796, a jealous witch named Angelique turns Barnabas Collins into a vampire and locks him in a coffin for roughly 200 years. In 1972, Barnabas returns home to find his one true love reincarnated and his family legacy destroyed by the witch who is still alive. This is a quintessential Tim Burton movie. It has a darkly comic story (based on a TV series which ran from 1966 to 1971), a beautifully visualised gothic setting, and it stars Johnny Depp as yet another cute but ultimately tragic freak. The end result is enjoyable but disposable entertainment. The hero, as played by Depp, is a lovely fish out of water character who produces a great many laughs. The main problem is that the central romance lacks spark. The twisted love story between Angelique and Barnabas is far more compelling.
