Dark Shadows

Spoiler Alert!

I've been hotly anticipating a great many films this year. Dark Shadows crept up on me and caught me unaware however. The only Burton production that was on my 2012 list was Frankenweenie - Burton's stop-motion feature, adapted from his own early short.
I have to admit to giving the last couple of Burton movies a wide birth. I'm a huge fan of his earlier works such as; Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and Batman, but have grown weary of the seemingly endless remakes and adaptations he's been tackling. There's no question he's a talented director with a unique vision, but personally I've been craving something original from the man.
When I first heard of Dark Shadows, I thought my hopes had been realised - only to discover that this new film was in fact an adaptation of an early television sitcom. Apparently the sitcom in question is a favourite of many a Hollywood film-maker - and a planned adaptation had been on the cards for some time.
The film begins in 1752 and tells the story of Barnabas Collins(played by Burton regular, Johnny Depp) - the only child to Joshua and Naomi Collins. An entrepreneurial type, Joshua Collins establishes himself as a forerunner of the fishing industry on the east coast of North America - resulting in the building of Collinsport. Barnabas is heir to his fathers considerable fortune, however things turn sour for the Collins' before Barnabas can take up his mantle.
A love-struck employee named Angelique(played by Eva Green), fails to earn the affections of Barnabas, and so she casts a pall over the Collins family and transforms Barnabas into a vampire. With the help of the townsfolk, Barnabas is buried in the ground for close to 200 years.
Cut to 1972 and Barnabas is re-awoken to discover the world has changed considerably! He returns to his estate to find the last few descendants of his family struggling to keep their home and business in a style to which Barnabas remembered. To make matters worse, Angelique is still alive. Seemingly immortal - her penchant for witchcraft has kept her looking young and voluptuous still.
Dark Shadows is a gothic dramedy(echoing that of the original sitcom I imagine). It's a fish-out-of-water tale with Barnabas' contemporary exchanges the butt of many a joke!
Much has been said about Burton and Depps ongoing collaborative relationship. Dark Shadows is their 8th collaboration and some have said they should call it a day. The truth is Burton and Depp work considerably well together. Depp is pitch-perfect in the roll of Barnabas and steals every scene he's in. I can't imagine Depp would have suited the roll of Batman or even Captain Leo Davidson(from Planet of the Apes), but Burton cast accordingly. As for the films Burton has cast Depp in, well each character has been a desperately kooky, loner-type. Why wouldn't you cast Depp - he's excellent in these roles!
Interestingly the main criticism I have of this film is a result of Depps star turn! The supporting cast are given short shrift, with only Michelle Pfeiffer and Helana Bonham Carter memorable in the parts of Elizabeth Collins and Dr. Julia Hoffman respectively. As a new-comer to Burtons world, Eva Green is surprisingly good as Angelique, but all are let down by a bleak and hollow ending.
Dark Shadows is an entertaining and fun movie, full of rich detail and endearing characters. Having invested in the endeavours of it's principle cast, one should have been rewarded with a wholly uplifting ending - with Barnabas reclaiming his birth-rite and his extended family free to bask in their newly found wealth. Instead(and somewhat unsurprisingly) the film goes in a darker direction, ending on a particular Burton-esque note - 3/5!