1750. The Collins family sets sail from their native England in search of fortune in the United States, where they manage to build a small empire in the fishing industry, even giving their name to the coastal town in Maine where they live, Collinsport. Twenty years later, the eldest son, Barnabas, now head of the family business and owner of the Collins estate, has an affair with one of his servants, Angelique, but the young Josette makes Barnabas literally lose his head, declaring eternal love to her. Faced with this betrayal, Angelique, who is actually a powerful witch, kills Josette and curses Barnabas, turning him into a vampire and then burying him alive in a coffin. 1972. Almost 200 years later, Barnabas is accidentally freed and, after feeding on the blood of the workers who found his coffin, heads to the Collins estate, now inhabited by his descendants. Unfortunately, many things have changed in 200 years; the family is falling apart, the Collins are no longer wealthy entrepreneurs, and the primacy in the fishing industry has been acquired by Angie's company, a ruthless businesswoman who reminds Barnabas in appearance of the witch Angelique! With immense pleasure, I welcome 'Dark Shadows' as the true return of Tim Burton, a dark cinema genius of the '90s who, in his recent films, had clearly shown that he had lost the direction of the cinema that had distinguished him in the past. 'Big Fish' seemed to be his testament, and although he directed a nice film (but too derivative) in 2005, 'Corpse Bride,' among chocolate factories, emo music videos, and a very clumsy attempt to remake Alice in Wonderland ('Alice in Wonderland,' his worst film ever!), Burton seemed doomed. And the trailer for this 'Dark Shadows' contributed to confirming the artistic death of the director of 'Edward Scissorhands,' so misleadingly comic. Instead, you can rest assured, 'Dark Shadows' is a true horror film, of course in the manner of Tim Burton, between romance and irony, but with vampires, witches, ghosts, and werewolves, we wallow in the genre we like the most. 'Dark Shadows' originally was a soap opera by ABC created by Dan Curtis, a daily television show that aired from 1966 to 1971 and continued even after its suspension both in cinema ('House of Dark Shadows' and 'Night of Dark Shadows'), and on TV with an eponymous miniseries in 1990, a remake in the form of a TV series in 1991 ('Dark Shadows,' which counts only one season), and a TV movie in 2004. To introduce this innovative television show to new generations, which over the years has become a real cult phenomenon, is Tim Burton, who has always said he is a big fan of the original series. Despite the very pop air of Burton's film, 'Dark Shadows' remains very faithful to the original, both in the characters and in the topics addressed, which range from the 'impossible' love story to family disputes, of course all seasoned with monsters of every kind. Seen with a fresh mind, 'Dark Shadows' appears as a mix between 'The Addams Family' and classic gothic cinema (with interchangeable threat), but all in the manner of the director, therefore with particular propensity for the macabre dimension and the poetic exaltation of the freak. To this must be added a measured irony that develops particularly in the description of the impact of the ancient Barnabas Collins with the modern era, which for him is full of devilish artifices at every corner. Excellent is the development of the numerous characters, all well characterized and enhanced by the performances of actors in top form and perfectly cast in their roles. Obviously, the role of the leading man is played by the loyal Johnny Depp, who, far from the now-worn caricature of Jack Sparrow that he has been carrying in almost all of his recent films, appears here as a convincing Barnabas Collins, an arrogant vampire with a keen acumen for business and beautiful women. But perhaps the one who stands out the most is the beautiful Eva Green ('Casino Royale'), a ruthless and amused witch with porcelain skin, practically perfect for the role. But they are all quite good, from the pleasantly rediscovered Michelle Pfeiffer (who for Burton had already made the best Catwoman ever in 'Batman Returns') to the always more convincing Chloe Moretz ('Kick-Ass'), through Freddy Krueger Jackie Earle Haley and the ethereal Bella Heathcote, recently seen in 'In Time.' The Burton lady Helena Bonham Carter and the guest star Alice Cooper in the role of himself, in one of the most beautiful scenes of the film, cannot be missing. In small cameos, there are also Christopher Lee and Jonathan Frid, the original Barnabas Collins. The weak point of 'Dark Shadows' is probably Johnny Depp's too marked makeup, an artificial pallor, perhaps intentionally fake, that still clearly shows the tons of ceruse spread on the actor's face. And if the final part is rich in action and intent on bringing together as many monsters as possible, the greatness and the massive use of computer graphics still manage to break the idyll created up to that point, settling the film into the canons of the Hollywood blockbuster. 'Dark Shadows' still entertains for the abundant two hours of duration, is 100% Burtonian, and shows that affection that the director has always had for a certain aged cinematic imagery, as had already happened in the masterpiece 'Ed Wood' and the beautiful 'Sleepy Hollow.' Well, we are not quite at those levels, and 'Dark Shadows' is remembered more as an adorable pop freak show, but considering the free fall to which the director was getting us used, 'Dark Shadows' is shining gold. A round of applause to the soundtrack.
Comments
Comments (0)
Comments