Dark Shadows

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

Before seeing this film the only thing I knew about Dark Shadows was a passing reference in the Fright Night remake. I cant attest to the accuracy of the adaptation but I can see that this is clearly a Tim Burton film, his visual style is clamped all over it. And not the cool old school plaster and painted backdrops look, the new smooth and glowy digital one, which I don't like as much.

The trailer makes the film out to be a comedy and while it does have some funny moments it probably shares more in common with its melodramatic roots. You can see them pushing the family friendly horror too and some moments are kind of effective, in particular the bloodshed that occurs when Barnabas rises from the grave.

My biggest problem with the film is that it feels like they tried to cram in 5 seasons worth of plot into the film and many of the characters get short changed. It leads to a big climax of revelations that is ridiculous and funny and very hard to tell wether intentional or not. Perhaps that means it's working. Or perhaps it is just terrible.

There is some fun to be had here. As you would expect, it looks and sounds amazing and the great cast do what they can with their characters. It looks very expensive for the kind of light entertainment it ends up offering. It's you're bored and there's nothing else on, you could do worse but it doesn't leave much of an impression.