Dark Shadows [DVD] [2012]

Big Tim Burton fan, don't know how I missed this when it came out. Star cast, led by Depp and Eva Green. A quirky combination of the early era turning into 1972 seaside fishing town of collinsport. The inclusion of bang on favourite music from the seventies will appeal more to those of my age, that lived through those amazing times. A love story, treachery, loyalties and smart use of amazing special effects, and not too much gore makes this unmissable. The gorgeous Eva Green in her element here, (penny Dreadful)…...... Steals the show as the witch with her obvious panache for the risqué costumes, a wild scene with Depp, is almost hilarious, especially when backed by a Barry White song.!!! Michelle pfeiffer is a hit in this, Helena Bonham Carters charctor is a little lame, but that's the only one complaint. Rest of cast is very supporting, and makes the Collinsport family crazy realistic. My favourite Burton film after "Batman Returns"👍

If you're British, then chances are you've never heard of the American TV show Dark Shadows. It's presence in this country has never been great, and it's usually the domain of the real cult tv aficionados. The show was a soap opera in the 60's/70's set in a coastal fishing village in the state of Maine. With all the attendant character clashes and dramas of American daytime soaps.Not an initial success at all, and seemingly doomed to cancellation, the producers went with a flippant suggestion: add a Vampire to the show. They created Barnabas Collins. Ancestor of some of the characters. A man cursed to be a vampire. A man who hates being undead. And who was buried - literally - for centuries till being released into the world once again.The character was a sensation and a hit. And the show became one. It ran for years more. And since vampires were clearly popular, it's plots from then on mostly concerned the supernatural. All done on a rather cheap budget.One of those shows that finds new generations of fans via reruns. Such as Director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp. Who both grew up on those. Barnabas Collins has long been a cherised role for the latter to play.The film is set in the 70's. After an opening that fills us in on Barnabas and his backstory, it then begins with a governess coming to Collinwood. Home of the Collins family. A big old house built centuries before. The matriarch [Michelle Pfeiffer] is struggling to keep the place and her family going. The family business is in decline. Her husband is a wastrel. Her children are rebellious and may just have special abilities. The gardener and the live in therapist are drunks.Then Barnabas is freed into the world. Can he get used to the 1970's? Can he restore the family to greatness and riches? And how will he cope when he finds that the woman who cursed him to this life is still alive and kicking?Whereas the tv show played it all straight, albeit in soap opera style, the movie does open by giving the impression of being gothic horror. But once Barnabas is freed it shifts away from that style and goes more for fish out of water culture clash comedy. This combined with soap opera style character drama results in something that you will either like or hate. But you can't fail to admire all the period detail.It does feel as if it has been cut down from something longer. Johnny Lee Miller's wastrel husband does get far too little to do. And certain revelations about one character do come far too late. Some of the comedy is pretty funny. Some doesn't quite hit the mark. Die-hard fans of the show may not find that style appealing.So whilst it perhaps isn't quite the movie it could have been, and could have done with a sharper and more focused script, it's an original and pretty entertaining piece of cinema. And as with most films that divide opinion, it's one that's worth judging for yourself.The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:Languages: English, Castilian Spanish.Subtitles: English, Castilian Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish.The disc begins with several trailers. Which can be skipped via the next button on the dvd remote.The only extra is: The Collinses: every family has it's demons. A six minute long featurette about the main characters and the casting of those who play them. It's short but quite an entertaining watch.There's also a flyer with a website address and code for you to obtain a digital copy of the movie that can be downloaded to various digital devices.

A very entertaining film full of skilled actors portraying a glittering array of diverse characters, everything from the disturbed adolescent through the alcoholic professional to the towering character of Dracula himself played definitively by Depp with flawless perfection.Enjoyed every minute and strongly recommend

This arrived on time and has since become one of my daughter's favourite movies. We don't have a television and only watch movies and so have watched it at least 10 times and probably way more. She would take it to school with her if it she were allowed. She particularly likes Chloë Grace Moretz. (Though actually we think the whole cast are great). I loved the effects and the music (except the Carpenters whose sound I loathe) though I would have preferred a happier ending all round and hated the thought of that wonderful house getting trashed. I have a bias toward happy endings in stories and films.Unusually I had not heard of the movie when it was released.

Dark and atmospheric with some splashes of noire humor in places. The whole thing is held together by Johnny Depp and the "witch". Unfortunately, a very good potential of brilliant actors like Helena Bohnam - Carter and Tommy Lee Jones is wasted in their roles. They seem to be thrown in almost as an afterthought.Once you accept the story and performance rotate around the two central characters with others just as the background, it may be an enjoyable watch. Some visuals are just stunning.

What we now expect from the equation 'Tim Burton + Gothic'. Lavishly produced and with excellent scenery and costumes - best viewed on a larger screen. In truth, the film wanders considerably in the middle, is overlong and purpose of the Michelle Pfeiffer part is unclear. But the film has two pluses. First, an effective enough finale. The second is Johnny Depp: always interesting to watch, with excellent timing and enunciation. The fourth star is down to him.

‘DS’ gets silly for about 10 minutes towards the end: there’s a ‘werewolf revelation’ - awful !Before that: snappy, quirky chills.Stars for a ‘savage’ Dior gag and utterly fab Eva Green.Free on Prime so worth a look.

I watched this a couple of years ago on Sky Movies and didn't really get on with it to be honest. As the Dark Shadows TV show didn't (to my knowledge) air in the UK, the film left me a bit cold.Fast forward to now, it was cheap and I needed to fill a hole in my Tim Burton collection. The repeated viewing was much much better; a far more enjoyable experience second time around. The disc extras are fair enough, but one thing you need to know is that the UV download extra expired ages ago.