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Notes:
Barnabas' parents move from Liverpool, England to America in order to start a new life in 1752. Everything is going great until he breaks the heart of Angelique, a witch and she turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. He is accidently freed in 1972. He returns to his home and finds it in a state of ruin.
Comedy Fantasy - While based on the cult '60s-'70s horror/supernatural daytime soap
opera, this latest teaming of Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton
plays more like a parody of the old series--so fans of either the
original show or its 1991 prime time remake should be warned. Fans
of
Depp should be pleased but other known stars such as Michelle
Pfeiffer
and Helena Bonham Carter have smaller parts. Violence, scary
images,
and sexuality make the film too intense for kids.
PROFANITY: 2 S-words; a few others. SEX/NUDITY: A comically rough sex scene with no nudity. VIOLENCE: Shootings, hits, falls, vampire bites. DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Alcohol, tobacco, marijuana. ACTION: Fights, fires. COMEDY: Wisecracks, banter, physical gags, sex gags, dark humor.
Berardinelli, Internet CriticFull Review Average Dark Shadows is a mess, and it's unclear whether its bizarre recipe of comedy, campy horror, and gothic melodrama will satisfy anyone,...
Roger EbertFull Review Above Average 'Dark Shadows' begins with great promise, but then the energy drains out.
USA TodayFull Review Above Average Dark Shadows is at its best in comic mode, more effective as goofy spoof than horror show.
Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.
Be sure to read the
DETAILED OPINIONS
The positive and negative comments made by moviegoers are very
helpful when selecting a movie that's appropriate for you and your family.
OPINION OVERVIEW The following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.
Moviegoer Opinions:
Based on a theater exit polling of 101 moviegoers:
CHILDREN:Three of the five kids loved it and two rated it average.
TEENS:Great reviews from the males. All but one enjoyed it very much or loved it. Approximately two-thirds enjoyed "Dark Shadows" very much with most loving it. Half of the remaining third rated it average. A few were disappointed.
TWENTYSOMETHINGS:Four of the five males rated it very high. One was disappointed. Only about half the ladies enjoyed "Dark Shadows" very much. The other half rated it "Good," which indicates an average movie, which isn't a bad review, but it's also not great.
ADULTS:A little better than half the males really liked "Dark Shadows," with most indicating they loved it. About a third of the ladies loved it, with another third rating it above average. Unfortunately, quite a few males and females only rated it "Good," which indicates an average movie. Even worse, several rated it below average.
In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet, or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote).
