Dark Shadows - you should have known this would be one of my first posts!
One of the reasons that I have always wanted to write a blog is that I have a lot to say about some of my favorite movies and tv shows. Having written close to a million papers in College I have always wanted to express my feelings in a "thesis paper" like form, don't worry I won't do that but I do want to write about some things that are close to me. So, naturally, my first real post will be about Dark Shadows the Tim Burton movie compared to the original TV show.
Most hardcore Dark Shadows fans hate the recent movie, and I have to admit that I lean very strongly towards those feelings, but on the other hand it was the movie (and a friend) that got me hooked on the TV show, which was revolutionary to me. (Yes, I am a nerd). When the movie was about to come out in theaters I was very intrigued, I am a big Tim Burton fan and it just looked like a good movie. Then one of my friends told me that she was a big fan of the TV show when she was a kid and I had never heard of the TV show. The Friday that the movie came out in theaters I was excited to see it, but my husband wasn't home and I just wasn't in the mood to go alone, so I got on Netflix and saw that the TV show was available for instant streaming. I decided that would be a good way to fill an evening and I started watching. The first episode that was available for instant streaming was the legendary Episode 210, which Dark Shadows fans know is the first episode that we are introduced to Barnabas Collins, the tortured yet loveable Vampire. (Note: this was 1966 years before we had Eric Northman, Bill Compton, Edward Cullen, and all of the Vampire Diaries people. (I really only know the True Blood people, sorry.)) So, of course like I am apt to do I binged watched as many episodes as I could over the next week and when I finally saw the movie and I was confused. At the point that I saw the movie I had seen probably about 100 episodes of the 1245 episode series. I left the theater and assumed that once I had seen the whole series I would understand the movie better, WRONG! I can now say I have watched all 1245 episodes of the show, many more than once and the movie still confuses me. My opinion on the Tim Burton movie is he or whoever came up with the script probably watched the episodes before 210 and possibly a handful after and called it good. I feel the easiest way to describe the differences and my opinions is in list form.
1) Roger Collins - The character in the movie is vaguely reminiscent of the Roger Collins in the beginning. From episodes 1-200ish he was a very distant father, who could care less about his son. Heck he was ready to give him back to Laura and be done with the whole thing, but as the show progresses he really develops a fondness for David and they are very close. I don't look badly on Tim Burton for doing this as Roger would be a hard character to have as a main character to an audience who doesn't really know the show and you need to put him in there for a 90 minute movie.
2) Dr. Julia Hoffman - First off, I loved Helena Bonham Carter in this role, even if she wasn't normally in Tim Burton's movies I would have cast her as Dr. Hoffman. I feel she nailed what she was given. My problem with this portrayal of Dr. Hoffman is that they made her a drug addicted doctor who wasn't really trying to help Barnabas, but had her own motives. Dr. Hoffman loved Barnabas, her one sided love was one of the great tragedies of the show. He loved her in his own way but she was just his best friend. I hate the fact that they made her betray him and he killed her. That was not who her character was.
3) Carolyn - Her being a werewolf bothered probably more than anything in this movie. Ok, ok, I know that the movie-going audience doesn't know the entire story about the Collins family and the Jennings family. They don't know that only Quentin and his male children were werewolves and that was the only time werewolves were on the show, but even taking that out of the picture there was nothing that led into her being a werewolf. Carolyn just saves the day and is like "oh yeah, I am a werewolf." That was dumb, even before I knew the entire story line, I was confused about that.
4) 1970's setting - I understand the homage to the TV show and the era it was made, and I even understand it poking fun at the time period and soap operas in general, but it took away from the characters. Barnabas would never have held a party with Alice Cooper, even if it was popular. Part of the appeal of Barnabas was that he was in love with the past, he held all of the ideals of the 1700's and that was part of the reason Victoria Winters loved him.
5) Angelique - I actually loved the idea that she lived on throughout the centuries as different versions of herself, I thought that was a cool twist on her character. I liked how they modernized her, however she felt a little too modern for the 1970's theme.
6) Maggie Evans/Victoria Winters/Josette - Maggie Evans/Victoria Winters was one person in this movie. As much as I want to be angry about that, I felt it was well done and the only way it could have been done in a 90 minute movie.
Something that I really loved was the cameo, at the very beginning of the big party Jonathan Frid (Barnabas), David Selby (Quentin), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans/Josette) and Lara Parker (Angelique) walked in and were greeted by Johnny Depp's Barnabas and I thought that was a very cool moment. The silverware joke was funny too!
I know that I have really hammered this movie, but I actually didn't completely hate it. The movie was great as a stand alone movie, if you had never seen the show. Obviously I am obsessed with the show, and I promise that this blog won't be filled with Dark Shadows rantings and ravings but I did want to talk about it.
Most hardcore Dark Shadows fans hate the recent movie, and I have to admit that I lean very strongly towards those feelings, but on the other hand it was the movie (and a friend) that got me hooked on the TV show, which was revolutionary to me. (Yes, I am a nerd). When the movie was about to come out in theaters I was very intrigued, I am a big Tim Burton fan and it just looked like a good movie. Then one of my friends told me that she was a big fan of the TV show when she was a kid and I had never heard of the TV show. The Friday that the movie came out in theaters I was excited to see it, but my husband wasn't home and I just wasn't in the mood to go alone, so I got on Netflix and saw that the TV show was available for instant streaming. I decided that would be a good way to fill an evening and I started watching. The first episode that was available for instant streaming was the legendary Episode 210, which Dark Shadows fans know is the first episode that we are introduced to Barnabas Collins, the tortured yet loveable Vampire. (Note: this was 1966 years before we had Eric Northman, Bill Compton, Edward Cullen, and all of the Vampire Diaries people. (I really only know the True Blood people, sorry.)) So, of course like I am apt to do I binged watched as many episodes as I could over the next week and when I finally saw the movie and I was confused. At the point that I saw the movie I had seen probably about 100 episodes of the 1245 episode series. I left the theater and assumed that once I had seen the whole series I would understand the movie better, WRONG! I can now say I have watched all 1245 episodes of the show, many more than once and the movie still confuses me. My opinion on the Tim Burton movie is he or whoever came up with the script probably watched the episodes before 210 and possibly a handful after and called it good. I feel the easiest way to describe the differences and my opinions is in list form.
1) Roger Collins - The character in the movie is vaguely reminiscent of the Roger Collins in the beginning. From episodes 1-200ish he was a very distant father, who could care less about his son. Heck he was ready to give him back to Laura and be done with the whole thing, but as the show progresses he really develops a fondness for David and they are very close. I don't look badly on Tim Burton for doing this as Roger would be a hard character to have as a main character to an audience who doesn't really know the show and you need to put him in there for a 90 minute movie.
2) Dr. Julia Hoffman - First off, I loved Helena Bonham Carter in this role, even if she wasn't normally in Tim Burton's movies I would have cast her as Dr. Hoffman. I feel she nailed what she was given. My problem with this portrayal of Dr. Hoffman is that they made her a drug addicted doctor who wasn't really trying to help Barnabas, but had her own motives. Dr. Hoffman loved Barnabas, her one sided love was one of the great tragedies of the show. He loved her in his own way but she was just his best friend. I hate the fact that they made her betray him and he killed her. That was not who her character was.
3) Carolyn - Her being a werewolf bothered probably more than anything in this movie. Ok, ok, I know that the movie-going audience doesn't know the entire story about the Collins family and the Jennings family. They don't know that only Quentin and his male children were werewolves and that was the only time werewolves were on the show, but even taking that out of the picture there was nothing that led into her being a werewolf. Carolyn just saves the day and is like "oh yeah, I am a werewolf." That was dumb, even before I knew the entire story line, I was confused about that.
4) 1970's setting - I understand the homage to the TV show and the era it was made, and I even understand it poking fun at the time period and soap operas in general, but it took away from the characters. Barnabas would never have held a party with Alice Cooper, even if it was popular. Part of the appeal of Barnabas was that he was in love with the past, he held all of the ideals of the 1700's and that was part of the reason Victoria Winters loved him.
5) Angelique - I actually loved the idea that she lived on throughout the centuries as different versions of herself, I thought that was a cool twist on her character. I liked how they modernized her, however she felt a little too modern for the 1970's theme.
6) Maggie Evans/Victoria Winters/Josette - Maggie Evans/Victoria Winters was one person in this movie. As much as I want to be angry about that, I felt it was well done and the only way it could have been done in a 90 minute movie.
Something that I really loved was the cameo, at the very beginning of the big party Jonathan Frid (Barnabas), David Selby (Quentin), Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans/Josette) and Lara Parker (Angelique) walked in and were greeted by Johnny Depp's Barnabas and I thought that was a very cool moment. The silverware joke was funny too!
I know that I have really hammered this movie, but I actually didn't completely hate it. The movie was great as a stand alone movie, if you had never seen the show. Obviously I am obsessed with the show, and I promise that this blog won't be filled with Dark Shadows rantings and ravings but I did want to talk about it.
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