As soon as I saw the billboard for this film in America, I knew I wanted to see it. Directed by Tim Burton, with an all-star cast including Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (who are two of my faves), and Colleen Atwood as the costume designer (her creations are amazing!), it was pretty much guaranteed to be good.
Sticking with the gothic theme that all of his films have, Burton's latest venture is about a young man called Barnabas Collins (Depp), who is cursed to be a vampire by a witch whose love for him is unrequited. Not content with murdering his parents and his one true love Josette in 1772, sorceress Angelique (Eva Green - who looks STUNNING in this film!) buries Barnabas in a coffin where he stays for two centuries, until he is found by workmen in 1972.
Returning to his parents estate, Barnabas finds it in ruin, and his remaining family have lost their successful fishing business to AngelBay Industries - owned by the much loved Angie (who turns out to be none other than Angelique). Determined to seek revenge on the woman who has ruined his life, he sets out restoring the family to their former glory in a bid to destroy the witch, and end the curse that has plagued his family for centuries.
It is a fairly simple story, but there are many twists that are added to it. Barnabas, it is revealed, is not the only Collins to have suffered at the hands of Angelique. His modern day ancestors have various afflictions that are the result of her spells. One of the children believes he can see the ghost of his mother, who died through drowning in the sea (which wasn't an accident). Another -sultry teenager Carolyn (played by Chloe Moretz) turns out to be a werewolf due to being bitten as a child. Michelle Pfieffer plays Carolyn's mother Elizabeth, and has an array of gorgeous costumes throughout the film, and Bonham Carter is a psychiatrist (perfect casting!) helping young David with his 'hallucinations'.
Because of the dramatically different surroundings and time period Barnabas finds himself in, there are lots of moments of humour, and Depp plays the character with such naivety that it is endearing. It is refreshing to see a film involving mythical creatures such as vampires and werewolves that doesn't take itself too seriously, and in this way it almost seemed like a deliberate parody, which added to its entertainment value. There were also some brilliant cameos from Christopher Lee and Alice Cooper, that I thought were well placed within the action.
Although there were lots of funny moments, there were also scenes that were very dark, and some that were also quite heartbreaking, making it a good all rounder film, that I think would be appreciated in different ways by different people. Just don't take any young children to see it despite the PG rating - there is a lot of blood, as well as some rather raunchy parts, that couldn't easily be explained to a five year old!
The only complaint I have is the love story behind the film. Though the chemistry between Depp and his lover was quite convincing, there was a rather lacklustre plotline that I don't think was very well explained. The actress playing the doomed Josette (newcomer Bella Heathcote) also played the children's nanny Victoria, and the audience later found out that she has had visions of an eerie woman since childhood, causing her to be sent to a mental institute by her parents. It was obvious that Burton meant for Victoria to be some kind of reincarnation of Josette, and at the end Depp and her are united as vampires to live for eternity, but I just felt that the detail was missed so it wasn't entirely clear. This wasn't enough to ruin my opinion of the film as a whole though. I would highly recommend it, especially if you are a fan of all things Burton-esque and gothicy like I am!
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