The Dark Shadows, Movie Review Example

The movie Dark Shadows (2012) is set in 1760 when Barnabas Collins, the inheritor of a great fortune, rejects Angelique, a hidden witch who subsequently kills his parent and his love, Josette. Then, the witch transforms Barnabas into a vampire and conspires to have him buried alive. Barnabas awakes in 1972, to discover that his family fortune is gone and that his inheritors (Elizabeth, Roger, Carolyn and David) have many financial and personal problems.  Barnabas is allowed to remain after he shows Elizabeth, the head of the family, a secret chamber full of treasures. Barnabas is decided to restore his family’s glory but he first have to defeat Angelique, who became a business woman and competes with the Collins family in the sea food industry.  Barnabas also meets Vicky, who has her own supernatural abilities, being able to see ghosts and whom Barnabas falls in love with.  In the end, Barnabas succeeds to defeat his enemy, to help his family and continues his relationship with Vicky, whom he transforms into a vampire.

The movie is a vampire story set in our times. It is a dark comedy with gothic accents. The story is told from Barnabas’s point of view and its humor is often created by Barnabas’s incompatibility with the modern world.  Also, his relationship with the dysfunctional members off his family and with the witch Angelique, with whom he has a love-hate relationship, is humorous. The story benefits from the contrast between the modernity of the town obvious in the scenes which show the industrialized fishery factory, and Collinwood, who is obviously stuck in the past.

Acting is extremely important in the movie because each character must represent the image that most people have about each character. For example, Barnabas Collins, a vampire and a person of the 18^th century has certain behavior that tries to emphasize these treats.  Johnny Depp plays the role extremely well and manages to highlight he character’s uniqueness and eccentricity.  Also, Eva Green, who plays Angel Bay (Angelique) plays the witch in Tim’s Burton’s recognized style, with sensuality and a promise of danger. Also acting in Burton’s style is Dr. Hoffman, a strange woman, portrayed by Helena Bonham Cooper who tries to become immortal. Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) acts as a typical teenager, affected and rebellious, unsatisfied with her life at Collinwood and treating Barnabas with contempt. Her acting being is in contrast with that of the formal and old-fashioned Vicky, with whom she is compared.

The visual style reflects the director’s vision of the movie. Lightning is mostly dark and reflects the gothic theme of the movie. Also in Tim Burton’s consecrated style, the characters’ costumes are brightly colored to contrast with the dark lighting. For example, in the scene in which Barnabas is tied up in a coffin by Angel, the entire scene is dark, except for Angel’s red underwear, which she puts on Barnabas’ face. Also, in contrast with Barnabas’ black-and-white appearance, the blood on his face or on his clothes is highlighted.  Moreover, in the scene of the manor party, the manor, usually dark and shadowy is lighted y bright colors, contrasting with the night dark. Because the main character is a vampire, most actions take place at night, to set the right atmosphere.  Camera movements support the gothic theme as well. Long takes of the manor and of the road that leads to Collinwood are used to set the scene. Also, the director uses the bird-eye shot, or example in shooting the train that leads Vicky to her destiny. Zoom in to the characters’ face, particularly to that of Barnabas, who is also shot with close up very often try to accentuate the danger he represents.

Tim Burton’s style is very specific and has become very easy to recognize in the recent years, after his success with productions such as The Corpse Bride(2005), Alice in Wonderland(2010)or Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber from the Fleet Street (2007). His style is dark and eccentric, featuring strange characters and sometimes controversial main characters.  His visual style is most of the times noticed by the audience and the combination of dark and bright color lightning, eccentric costumes and characters and a controversial theme are part of the director’s unique style.

I personally enjoyed the movie for its dark humor and the qualitative cinematography. However, I must note that the story was not particularly impressive, or powerful. Also, the characters are not complex and are not contoured with precision.  Initially, there is some stereotypical humor that I did not find particularly appealing, such as the arrival of a relative from a different age, who cannot communicate properly with the modern-aged family. This plot is not particularly original. However, Tim Burton’s talent transformed this potentially unnoticeable film into a good one.