Blood is thicker than water, a fang of a good time! Excellent take on the Gothic classic.

Rating: 10/10 (11 May 2012)

I for one am one of the biggest Tim Burton fans the man who brought us the classics "Batman"(1989) and "Batman Returns"(1992)really blends emotions and the inner feelings to make excellent movies. As his dark and Gothic mood tone will make any viewer enchanted. And with this work an update and more modern version of the TV soap "Dark Shadows" Tim clearly did not let anyone down! "Dark Shadows" is an excellent take and spin on the Gothic classic and Tim's story is filled with a journey and search for family and love plus the comedy and horror mix make the film very interesting to anyone. And the film is a pop culture piece for the way it blends music and style of it's setting of 1972 it's a rock and roll all night good time. As anyone knows who watches Burton's movies they are full of fun and expressions always revealing inner feelings and emotions his works can really change one's view of the world. And the all star cast makes the film work even more as two Tim favorites Johnny Depp(Barnabas Collins)and Michelle Pfeiffer(Elizabeth Collins Stoddard)shine with star power.
The film has a story in a historical and Gothic kind of way starting in 1752 in Liverpool, England a young Barnabas(Depp)suffers some fatal tragedies at the hands of a curse put out by a sexy yet jealous witch Angelique Bouchard(Eva Green). Yet after many many decades of being buried the film flashes to it's present day of 1972 and the culture is captured in the film perfect by the use of 70's music and style as the furniture and the clothing from the 70's is noticeable. And a nice little appearance from 70's legend Alice Cooper is A okay. And Barnabas meets his ancestral descendants that being the wealthy and rich Collins family of Collinsport, Maine a seaside and shoreline fishing community as this business has brought the Collins clan their millions. Yet arriving is a mysterious girl Victoria Winters/Josette(Bella Heathcote) who becomes a guest to the Colins family and this arrival has pleased Barnabas. The bad news is the sexy yet wicked witch but breakable beauty Angelique(Eva Green)has arrived in town with her curse. To help both defeat the wicked witch is the Collins Stoddard family as Michelle Pfeiffer is elegant and sexy in a classic kind of way and in top notch form as family head leader Elizabeth and true this a strange bunch as Elizabeth's daughter Carolyn(Chloe Grace Moretz) is a certain little hand full and family head doctor Julia Hoffman(Helena Bonham Carter) needs medication herself.
Overall this horror comedy drama is full of laughs, love, culture, and searching for belonging and acceptance still it closes the historical Gothic story out to a happy ending. The performances from Depp and Pfeiffer were top notch and perfect and again Tim sends a message and he proves with this film that family and belonging is important and too it's okay to be different! "Dark Shadows" was one feel good viewing pleasure.