Tim Burton teams up once again with Johnny Depp to produce a film that is at the same time a comedy, drama filled soap opera and satire of a time gone by. Dark Shadows has its funny moments, an homage paid to the TV series of old but many of its comedic moments fall short of splitting your side. My companions and I had more of a giggle messing with the two drunk men sleeping and snoring in the seats in front of us.
I am not saying its a dreary non-comedy. Depp is a great actor and he is fun to watch but the story falls short explaining itself to an audience member who has never seen the show before. The film seemed a bit confused as to which way it wanted to take us. Was it a comedy or a Gothic thriller/romance with some blood letting in the middle? Instead, What we sat through was a funny movie with a few great lines delivered by Depp. I think Burton wanted pay homage to the TV show by adding in so many details that only fans would pick up on and that left much of the audience in the dark. There were moments in the plot where we get a reveal but it turns into nothing more than a forced “tip of the hat” to the original show that just missed the mark in my opinion.
The movie begins in Liverpool in 1752,…
