Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfieffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz
Director: Tim Burton
A few months ago I reported about how aprehensive I was about this movie. The trailers really didn't do anything for me, which for a Tim Burton fan was quite dissapointing. Well, I am happy to report, that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
We have recently returned from a mega six week holiday to the UK, France, Abu Dhabi and Thailand. So you can imagine how many movies I had the opportunity to watch on all those flights!
The first of six movies was Dark Shadows.
Tim Burton once again works with his favourite crew of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Danny Elfman. There's also the quintiscential cameo from Christopher Lee.
Fans of the original 1970's tv show will know the storyline of Barnabus Collins well. Having never watched it myself, I cannot comment on how faithful they stayed to the original story.
Johnny Depp plays the tortured and cursed vampire Barnabus Collins, who is cursed by a witch after he rejects her sultry advances in 1772. She buries him alive, or undead in this case, where he stays for two centuries before being unearthed by a crew of workman in 1972.
Barnabus returns to Collinwood Manor, his ancestoral home, to find a much changed and very troubled Collins Family, helmed by Elizabeth Collins (Michelle Pfieffer).
Now I'm not a fan of the 70's, and therefore generally don't like anything set in the drug hazed, hippy days of free love and disco, but this was actually quite well done.
The make up on Johnny is a bit strange, and the acting and set design all very kitsch, but all in all, the storyline was engaging and quite funny.
Didn't love it, but certainly didn't hate it as I had predicted.
Worth a look for Depp and Burton fans.
(Please excuse the spelling, too lazy to check)
