Dark Shadows [DVD + UV Copy]

Dark Shadows is a typical Burton's film. It comes across as quirky, surreal, gothic and richly entertaining. I enjoyed the film. Johnny Depp proves how versatile he is as an actor. He plays the role of a vampire really well. I love the make -up and the costumes of the characters. The setting sets the tone of the film really well. The characters are interesting and eccentric.

The plot initially starts three centuries ago. The opening sequence shows a young Barnabas and his parents leaving Liverpool for a new life in an American fishing town. The family build a huge mansion. Barnabas becomes a businessmen and a servant played by Eva Green falls for him. She is later rejected and takes revenge by killing the parents. She is a witch. Barnabas returns alive in the 70s. Why going back to the 70s? The TV series is based on the 70s and was never shown in the UK. It is available on DVD, but only sold in the States if you are interested to watch the original TV series. The mansion is passed on to a new generation, who are dysfunctional and strange. Barnabas is a vampire and even the past haunts him, as you are about to discover. The film is filled with plenty of comedy moments and a few glory bloodshot moments. It has a good cast, as Michelle Pfeiffer and Helen Bonham compliment the main characters well with their roles.

Dark Shadows is classed as a comedy film. It is a bit like the Adams family, as it is gothic and vampire influenced. I admit it is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It is entertaining and worth seeing if you like to have a good laugh, but I would not say it is totally light hearted. The term light hearted is a bit of an understatement, as there are some sickening moments in the film. I enjoyed the film as a whole. I love the 70s nostalgic to the film. The good old days of the decade are relieved with some classic tunes.

I wasn't planning on writing a review but when I saw how the movie review on amazon averaged out as 3.4 I had to step in and help ^_^

This movie is entertaining start to finish, it doesn't have a slow start (unlike other movies, I am sure we can all think of a few that do) it starts of with how Barnabas Collins turned in to a vampire and how he woke up buried alive two centuries later, very behind time.

What made me laugh was how old fashionably he acted towards everyone and Johnny Depp's acting was spot on!

No other actor could have portrayed the character in a more funny way than he did. So this is a must buy.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, I wouldn't think twice.

We went to the cinema to see this and it must be yet another time where the trailer was more entertaining than the whole film. It's a 'first' for us where you sit in a cinema and not hear a soul laughing - snigger now and again, yes - but certainly no laughter which is why we went and judging from the comments as we all left, in silence, basically said the same as us - low on laughs. Oddly a number - like us - thought we were going so see some sort of 'Addams Family' type film that DID entertain but this? - think again but having said that, why did we all, yes all that night, get it so wrong?. . On the way out I asked one of the staff how it was going audience-wise as it had been running a few days by the time we saw it and even he had to say it was 'looking like a bit of a clunker' so far in it's run as audiences were very low for it.. Quite how it looked on paper in the initial instance and was able to get the money to make the film in the first place is a mystery.