Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[Joeytrom]

How do they merge Vicky & Maggie?

[ProfStokes]

Joey,

[spoiler]"Victoria Winters" is an alias that Bella Heathcote's character uses.  Her real name is Maggie Evans.[/spoiler]

ProfStokes

[mm#7]

Saw Dark Shadows today with my friend. We both loved it. My friend is a lot more pickier than I am, and he is not a original DS fan.I enjoyed it very much.The visuals that Burton did for the movie are very good. I enjoyed Johnny  Depp, and Michelle Pfier a lot. The rest  of the cast was also very good. Liked the music, and there was a murmur in the audience when the 4 original cast members  came into the party. All in all, I had a good time, and when the Blu Ray comes out, defiantly will get it.

[Gothick]

A friend of mine who was a fan in the Sixties actually left the theatre in the middle of the movie today.

I did try to warn him what to expect.  It is interesting how some people are having really extreme reactions to the experience.

G.

[Sara Monster]

Saw it on a spur of a moment decision (rare for me) to see it ad midnight last night.

I agree with most of the observances. Overall I thought it was very good UNTIL the end! [spoiler]I just don't buy vampirism working that fast & don't like how the movie sets up that we're suppose to be okay with the fact that Josette took over Maggie/Vicky, much like Barnabas is. And as entertaining as Johnny Depp made Barnabas, he's simply too much of an idiot vampire. He doesn't even seem to attempt to hide his vampire state or how many centuries old he is until half way throughout the movie.[/spoiler]

[ClaudeNorth]

Just got back from seeing it and, overall, I enjoyed it.  What really surprised me was the generally serious tone of the film.  Many of those comic bits -- even the jokier ones -- when seen in context aren't nearly as glaringly parodic as they seem in the trailers.  There is a great deal of humor, but the new film is not a farce or a spoof.

For me, the acting carried the film, with Depp and Pfeiffer leading the way.  The Barnabas-Elizabeth alliance is very much in keeping with the original series and I enjoyed seeing their relationship explored here.

On the other hand, as much as it pains me to write this, I felt that the weak link was HBC's Julia Hoffman.  Yes, I am a card-carrying member of the Legion so I'm prejudiced on this matter, but while the other characters were not carbon copies of the originals, they did manage to retain a certain fidelity to them.  This Julia lacked the original's dignity and propriety, and her storyline felt underdeveloped, which is a shame because there were interesting ideas at work.

Also problematic for me was the final confrontation between the Collinses and Angelique, which felt a bit cluttered.  [spoiler]And the revelation that Carolyn is a werewolf struck me as far too significant to be tossed into the mix so late in the film and explained away with a single line of dialogue.[/spoiler]

For me, there will really only ever be one DS, and that's the original series.  Because the OS is a one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-million-years creation, a straight recreation would be doomed to failure.  However, I do feel that Burton and Company managed to remain faithful to the show's themes while creating something that is not merely a rehash of the original, and for the most part, I think they succeeded.

[Phil]

It is interesting how some people are having really extreme reactions to the experience.

I wish I'd had any kind of extreme reaction besides the resigned shrug with which I walked away. I am glad that the best bits - the ones aimed at those "in the know" - are being well received by the series' fans. I thought the "fix" to the Maggie Evans/Vicki Winters problem was pretty neat.

And the humor really does play much better within the context of the film (except for the sight gag montages, which were too bountiful).

[Brandon Collins]

I saw the film today and it was just okay for me. It left me searching for something. There were some brilliant good spots in the film and some awfully bad ones as well. The potential was the worst of it all simply because the scenes where I saw echoes (I'm assuming) of John August's original script were all too brief and cut away from quickly to show us more of out-of-place Barnabas.

I almost wish they had've approached Barnabas like the original series did, where you didn't ever get an explanation as to why he didn't notice the changes that had occurred since he was originally entombed. Of course, I like the idea of seeing the reactions, but perhaps not as blatant and over-the-top as they were. Some of the more appropriate reactions to me were Baranbas' initial approach to the paved road, he his quirky glances at the fashions and styling of the people of Collinsport.

As others have already said, I will also be posting a more full and fleshed out view on my blog, probably by the end of the weekend. Until then, let me say simply that the longing that I was left with for what could have been given the glimpses of pure DS that I saw really is the only thing I left this movie with. The story was beyond stale, if you could even label a story so flimsy. It was too overcrowded and I could imagine Grayson's Julia standing in the background of the production wringing her hands and giving dramatic face.

[PennyDreadful]

Were you at the Showcase Cinemas in Worcester? I drove by on my way home from work and saw quite a few vehicles in the parking area.

Nope, Providence Place.

[arashi]

Just got back from seeing it this afternoon with my Mom and my sister. I have kind of mixed feelings about it. I can't say I was disappointed with it because I really did enjoy it, but for as many brilliant things there were just as many misfires. Overall there was just something missing that I can't quite put my finger on.

[spoiler]For brilliance: I thought Johnny was amazing especially when he was playing the anguished vampire. I thought Gully McGrath was EXCELLENT as David and I wish he had more screen time. I wish there had been more about his friendship with the ghosts in the house, not just his mother. (They made an allusion to her being a Phoenix, but in the end she was what? A Banshee?) I did, however LOVE Josette's ghost, I loved the way she moved, the way she looked, everything about her. I loved the ending. I loved the opening with the train moving through the woods to the tune of Knights in White Satin. If only the whole movie felt like that! I love the secret behind Victoria, I thought that was clever as all get out. I loved Collinwood! The set design was gorgeous! More so I loved Widow's Hill and the grounds surrounding the house. Damn but didn't I want to go wandering in those woods! I also LOVED Vicki's wardrobe!

Misfires: Not enough back story! Especially the triangle between Barnabas, Josette and Angelique! And ESPECIALLY between Barnabas and Vicki. If this is a love that has crossed time then, damn it! I want to feel it! In the show Barnabas strung Angelique along, and she was OBSESSED with him. She was CRUEL. She was driven by her desire to rise above her station in life and become a great lady. Angelique in the film just didn't come across that way to me at all. In the show Angelique chases Barnabas through time and every time she does so she manipulates and murders people he cares about to try and get him to love her. I think that's my biggest disappointment in the film, the way they handled Angelique. It was just.... her motivation just didn't come through to me at all. She was acting like a spoiled little girl, not a spurned lover. Hell Hath no Fury did not apply to her in the movie like it did in the show. I did love the scene where she literally took her heart out of her chest and attempted to get him to take it. Roger was a wasted character, Julia was a wasted character, and mores the pity. The overtly sexual stuff was off putting as well.

I thought there could have been a little more name dropping of original characters as well. They didn't have to show Joe Haskell, but they could have name dropped him. No mention either that Windcliff was the hospital that Julia owned in the show, I thought for SURE they were going to tie that in with Vicki somehow but they didn't. Some props would have been awesome as well. How much effort would it have been to put a gramophone in David's room for instance?[/spoiler]

So in the end it wasn't everything I expected it to be, but I did really enjoy it and I will be seeing it again!

[Darren Gross]

There should be a spoiler warning on this thread, methinks. Tons of them in each page of this topic...

[Gothick]

MB's inaugural post said "don't read here unless you have already seen the film."  Or don't care about spoilers (which is the case with myself--still don't know when/if I am going to bother sitting through this thing).

G.

[Midnite]

Yes, the main topic contains a warning to anyone who hasn't seen the film.  Darren, get thee to a theater! 

[neiljohnson]

Just saw the film, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.  The serious moments were marvelous and reminded me of TOS.  Of course, there was far too much humor, but it seemed to me we had already seen every one of the jokes in the various commercials and trailers.  So, I just sort of tuned-out when I noticed a joke coming up. So, I did enjoy the film -- just wish I could have enjoyed it more.

The weak-link, acting-wise was Eva Green, in my opinion.  She didn't seem to have the essense of Angelique, she was just playing a blonde bitch.  I also think the [spoiler]Carolyn/werewolf[/spoiler] thing was silly, out-of-the-blue, and a big mistake.  That was the only part of the movie that truly offended (if that is the correct word) me, as a fan of TOS. Afterall, a possible sequel would likely have been about a [spoiler]werewolf.[/spoiler] That story now seems unlikely, with the Carolyn development.  And, why burn-down Collinwood?  How can there be a sequel without Collinwood?  But, how could it ever be re-built?  It seemed to be pretty-much destroyed.

What did I like?  I loved the Vicki/Maggie connection.  A real nod to the original.  I also enjoyed Julia's new motivation (eternal youth).  However, I think that angle needed a bit more development.  It did seem a bit shocking, in that one scene. More build-up would have been nice.  Also, there was no real need to kill-off Julia.  Why not just scare her away from Collinwood?  Or scare her into hiding?  She would have been an important utilitarian character in any sequels -- as she was in TOS.  Big mistake, killing her.

Regarding Laura -- they did imply that she was a phoenix.  What was the term they used?  As someone mentioned earlier, they said something about periodic reappearances, but I forget the exact term.  Also, she did first appear during the fire.  At first, I though David was going to summon her out of the fire.  I have a feeling there was more discussion of Laura in the cut-footage.

All-in-all, the movie wasn't the train-wreck I was expecting.  I don't believe it was a parody, and I don't believe anyone was making-fun of TOS.  I wish it had been a straight horror film, but I am not in the demographic that matters to film-makers.

I now believe Burton's comment about not having plans for a sequel.  Too much of the structure of the story had been destroyed by the end of this film -- not unlike House of Dark Shadows.  Of course, they can create a sequel out of anything, but it does seem unlikely, at least to me.

[Darren Gross]

Oh, I've seen it.  I was thinking more for other people who might just click on the newest page and not bother with pg 1 (foolish mortals). 

And Steve, really just go...go...go...go...!   My co-workers were amused at my enthusiastic lobbying for them to see the movie...  It was known as Happy DS Day at the office to me and my co-horts.  "Support the cause" I say... and you know, what that cause is of course.  ;-)