Movie Review: Dark Shadows

Dark Shadows, another Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaboration to die for.

I'll try not to put in too many spoilers.

Overview (Small spoilers):

Barnabus Collins endures a curse from a witch named Angelique which turns him into a vampire after the love of his life is destroyed by the same witch. He is then imprisoned in a steel coffin for almost two hundred years when he is discovered by an unlucky construction crew in 1972.  Meanwhile, a woman with a strange past comes to be the governess of his distant relative. He discovers that Angelique is still very much alive and still trying to ruin his family and his life and he resolves to stop her.

My Review:

Over the weekend I went to see Dark Shadows with two of my friends. I hadn't really heard much about it, besides seeing a few trailers and reading a few online blurbs. I knew it was a vampire movie and that it was a Tim Burton film starring Johnny Depp. (Who else?)

Of course, Helena Bonham Carter was in the film as well.  She is another Tim Burton favorite, and plays her roles well.

Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp are similar in their versatility when it comes to acting.  They become the characters so easily, and their roles in Dark Shadows were no exception.

One thing I didn't know about the movie before watching it is that it also features other paranormal beings. Ghosts, witches and (Spoiler Alert) a surprise towards the end.

The world of Tim Burton as we all know is a dark one. Nothing is ever sugar coated (besides Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but that's literally) and happy resolutions for character's problems are hard to come by.

The characters have the usual Burton quirks about them and are well developed. They are quite the eclectic bunch.

Overall I thought the movie was quite good. It's almost a spoof on all the other vampire movies, but it still holds its own, as it is based on a television series from 1991.  I feel that it pokes fun at the recent vampire explosion that has hit pop culture while at the same time, is a legitimate addition to it.

Johnny Depp was awesome as usual. (Spoiler Alert) The ending of the movie allowed for a sequel that I hope takes place, I would love to see more of these characters and, of course, more of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. The dark humor in the works they collaborate on is something I've come to love about their movies.