BLU-RAY
REVIEW: DARK SHADOWS
9/30/12
OVERVIEW: Vampires, werewolves and a family of quirky characters collide as “Dark Shadows” comes back to life, arriving onto Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download on October 2 from Warner Home Entertainment Group. Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, “Dark Shadows” follows a vampire awoken from a multi-century sleep only to find that the family business is near ruin, his descendents are struggling and his past may come back to haunt him.
“Dark Shadows” will be available on Blu-ray Combo Pack for and on single disc DVD. The Blu-ray Combo Pack features a hi-definition and standard definition copy of the film and UltraViolet; and the single disc DVD features a standard definition copy of the film and UltraViolet. UltraViolet allows consumers to download and instantly stream the standard definition theatrical version of the film to a wide range of devices including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.*
SYNOPSIS:
In the year 1750, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from England to start a new life in America, where they build a fishing empire in the coastal Maine town that comes to carry their name: Collinsport. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of falling in love with a beauty named Josette DuPres (Bella Heathcote) and 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.
Nearly two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972, a stranger in an even stranger time. Returning to Collinwood Manor, he finds that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin, and the dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets.
Family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) is the one person Barnabas entrusts with the truth of his identity. But his rather odd and anachronistic behavior immediately raises the suspicions of the live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), who has no idea what kind of problems she's really digging up.
As Barnabas sets out to restore his family name to its former glory, one thing stands in his way: Collinsport's leading denizen, who goes by the name Angie...and who bears a striking resemblance to a very old acquaintance of Barnabas Collins.
FILM REVIEW:
Barnabas Collins: You cannot imagine how thirsty I am...
Barnabas Collins: You locked me in a box, for over two hundred years!
Angelique Bouchard: Don't exaggerate, it was only a hundred and ninety-six.
Regardless, it is a very long time and for Barnabas, the family vampire, it is a long time to go without blood. It has not, however, been that long since Director Tim Burton and superstar Johnny Depp have teamed up to do a movie. Well, you know, this is only their eighth film together. I’m thinking that’s a record followed by Tony Scott and Denzel Washington perhaps. Undoubtedly, Tim and Johnny are very well suited for each other as much as Tony and
Denzel. Tim’s squeeze, Helena Bonham Carter, seems to always appear in his movies as well and yet she falls short by one compared to Tim and Johnny. Johnny and Helena are perfect cast members to the type of characters Tim has in his movies. This one is no exception. From the get go it is dark, dreary, and mysterious . . . very much Burton’s style. The bonus is that it is also funny, sharp, and sexy. The look and feel of the 70s was very well captured and a treat to watch. From the costumes to the makeup, the music to the characters, pretty much all aspects of the film added to the effect of being present in the 70s. Priscilla pointed out that “the makeup work was very campy, but good.” She is a makeup artist herself, one of her many trades, so I just say “Yes dear” to whatever she has to say about that. Having lived the 70s (oops, maybe I shouldn’t admit to that) hearing songs like “Nights in White Satin” is a really nice touch. I glanced over at Priscilla to mention how much I like that song and she immediately agreed.
So what could possibly be wrong with a Burton/Depp collaboration? Of the eight they’ve done, this one is not at the top of the list. There is some slowness in the presentation of the plot as well as some choppiness. The film is about two hours long and yet the character development and interconnectivity for the “modern” family members is not as good as it should be. The bulk of the movie is about family but the connection between the viewers and said family is weak with the exception of Barnabas himself. The strongest line is the “relationship” between Barnabas and the devilishly sexy
Angelique, wonderfully played by Eva Green. This conflict helps keep the movie afloat. This film does have a talented cast and the performances were commendable across the board but I for one would have liked a little more of those performances. The script these performers used was entertaining and at times appropriately corny. And of course what Tim Burton film would be complete without exceptional cinematography which adds so much to the overall mood and Burton style. Overall the movie is not bad, I just had higher expectations of it. Priscilla enjoyed it more than I did because she is fan of the TV show and I know nothing of it. She says it’s a great film adaptation of the show . . . my reply to that: “yes dear”.
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in 1080P widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration
preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just
flawless.Not only the picture looks great in
this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 DTS-HD Master
Audio (48kHz/24bit) in English, Spanish and French that provides a
good complement to the picture. It also includes
English Spanish French
subtitles.
VIDEO:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen 1080P
AUDIO:
English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital,
French 5.1 Dolby Digital Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles -
ESDH, Latin Spanish
French
SPECIAL FEATURES:
See how the brilliant imaginations of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp created Dark Shadows with nine behind-the-film Focus Points.
BECOMING BARNABAS - It takes more than just a set of prosthetic fangs! Get the scoop from directly from Johnny Depp on his reimagining of this infamous and undead cult character.
WELCOME TO COLLINSPORT! - Explore every strange nook and peculiar cranny of the most spectacularly detailed city to never exist!
A MELEE OF MONSTROUS PROPORTIONS - Join the fight and experience the thrilling final battle sequence in a way that only Tim Burton and Johnny Depp could imagine.
ANGELIQUE: A WITCH SCORNED - Johnny Depp and Eva Green reveal the lurid details of their character's centuries old lascivious and tumultuous relationship.
RELIVING A DECADE - From groovy bell bottoms to classic rock & roll, strut through the Collinsport of the 70s and discover the topsy-turvy world that Barnabas finds himself in after centuries in the grave.
DARK SHADOWY SECRETS - Watch out for exploding buildings and all manner of bizarre, supernatural occurrences as Tim Burton's spectacular props and special effects wizards bring this eccentric world to crazy life.
THE COLLINSES: EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS DEMONS - Become scarily familiar with this creepy cast of quirky characters as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and their co-stars reveal their unique working relationship.
COOPER ROCKS COLLINSPORT! - Shock rock the night away with the master of musical horror himself, Alice Cooper, as Johnny Depp and the cast invite him to rock the roof off of Collinsport Manor.
VAMPIRES, WITCHES AND WEREWOLVES, OH MY! - Uncover the method behind Tim Burton's madness as he twists and tweaks his favorite classic movie monsters for the gothic universe of Dark Shadows.
DELETED SCENES
THE COLLINSES: EVERY FAMILY HAS ITS DEMONS - Become scarily familiar with this creepy cast of quirky characters as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and their co-stars reveal their unique working relationship.
DVD disc: Feature film in standard definition
UltraViolet Digital Copy of the film
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