Expectations

Rating: 5/10 (13 May 2012)

"New film! Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Michelle Pfiffer, vampires; it must be great!" That was basically the line of dialogue that went through my head while I watched the trailer for the first time. Now, I've been away at school, and since then, I haven't watched any television. I was shocked at how many things I was completely lost on! "Dark Shadows" was one of them. I had enough money to see ONE movie when I came home for the break, and I chose "Dark Shadows" because of the cast. This is my review. Please keep in mind, that I have not seen the original TV series. I hadn't heard of it until the movie came out.
Plot: I thought the plot was rather interesting, but with a star-studded cast, a plot isn't really necessary, right? Everyone just wants to see them interact with each other. The flashback in the beginning was nice, and set the mood very well. I was kind of disappointed with the loose ends they left. Not sure if they are opening for a sequel (I hope not) or what. Then again, Tim Burton likes to let your imagination do the work, so it may just be his artistic signature. Like with the entire Victoria/Barnabas romance? I understand that she's a doppelganger-type love (similar to Dracula), but it's rather spontaneous, and the entire plot at the end is rather unfulfilled, in my opinion. I think they mostly did it, because they couldn't come up with a good way to end it. :P Don't get me wrong, I thought it was entertaining to an extent. Most of the jokes fell short with me, but I was entertained by the situational humor. Watching Barnabas try to interact and blend in with the 70's was my favorite part of the film. However, I thought there were a lot of very unnecessary things in the film that put a damper on it; such as the sexual moments. I realize they're supposed to come across as humorous or "O.o?!", but for me, they were disappointing and ruined segments of the film. I thought it terribly unnecessary, distracting, and disgusting.
Characters: I am not a fan of Helena Bonham-Carter, but I very much enjoyed her character. (Minus the lewdness with Barnabas) The teenager in the house (whose name escapes me) was funny and not annoying. I especially loved the scene with her and Barnabas when he is seeking dating advice. The little line about 'birthing hips' had me in giggling fits. I ADORED Michelle Pfiffer's character. She starts out seeming to be with evil intentions, but in the end, she is the protective one. I really liked it. I thought everyone was cast well, minus Eva Green. She definitely looks the part, but when she opens her mouth, I found her annoying.
Miscellaneous Notes: Profanity wasn't horrible, I'm pleased by its absence. Random plot twist with the werewolf? Okay... *puzzled* Unresolved ending? Fine, fine, Timmy does that a lot. I found more humor in the situation and in the little expressions on character's faces much more than the actual pokes that were put into the script.
All-in-all, I give it a five. I found the plot to be rather boring, and I only stayed to watch the characters interact. I knocked it down from its original 7 because of my disappointment with the tasteless sex scenes. I'm starting to feel that Tim Burton should back off a bit, and concentrate on doing less films, but making them of higher quality.