Dark Shadows(2012)- User Reviews

...to being Tim Burton's best film. There were moments where you could see the brilliant vision that Burton must have had for this film....but then it all gets blurred in what can only be described as horrible directing. It does not need to be explained to even a first year film student that to direct a good movie, you don't dedicated ten minutes of your movie to a very old Alice Cooper performing his hits from the 70's. We get it, its supposed to be the 70's. Want Alice to be in your movie with a cameo? Fine. But ten minutes of back and forth between Depp and Alice Cooper??? It shattered the suspension of disbelief. I thought at any second, Depp was going to look at the camera and say in his best Austin Powers voice "Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. Alice Cooper!"
What a shame this film turned out to be so bad, because the opening 30 minutes of it had me hooked. Vampires, witches, murders, suicides, an awesome spooky old mansion....it was great. Then it just sort of feels like the rhythm of the film gets lost and wanders off the path never finding its way back. The whole daughter is a werewolf thing was just.......lame. It was supposed to be a shocking twist, but the audience was like "uhhh okay...whatever". Especially with what was quite possibly the most awful piece of dialogue I have ever seen in high budget movie..."So I'm a werewolf. Dont make a big deal about it." I don't know whether we were supposed to laugh or what, but the audience groaned.
Visuals in this film were amazing. The house, for lovers of spooky old mansions, was beyond cool. Depp, of course, was amazing as Barnabus. That is the greatest disappointment. Because Depp was dead on. With a better script and director, this really could have been an awesome flick. Maybe even an instant classic.