Dark Shadows

Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 11th May, 2012
Time : 113 minutes
Director : Tim Burton; Writers : Seth Grahame-Smith; John August (based on the TV Series by Dan Curtis); Music : Danny Elfman
Starring : Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helena Bonham Carter, Bella Heathcote, Jackie Earle Haley

Another film suffering from an identity crisis. Struggling between a ghost / supernatural genre vs a comedy vs an emotional drama about love and family. It has its moments but has too many ponderous parts for us to really get into it

Johnny Depp is cursed to become a vampire by Eva, who loves him but cannot accept the fact that he doesn’t love her back. Anyways, if she cant have him, she cant let anyone else get him. In other words a classic scorned woman. And so he is chained and buried alive into the ground. Only to awaken 200 years later and find the world has changed, as has his family, with only Eva, thanks to her witchcraft, remaining a constant.

It has its moments of humour, not least while showing Johnny’s bewilderment at the changes in the world. “Bring my horses” or “Mephistopheles !” or his tips on wooing from the 15 year old Chloe, probably being amongst the highlights.

But there are too many characters, too many sub plots and too many emotions thrown at us for it to make sense.

Interesting premise, great acting but a lukewarm story and lack of focus consign it to remain in the dark shadows.