Well given that Barnabus returned 15 minutes after his burial, it didn't left Victoria as the de facto main character, although yes, there were times I completely forgot about Victoria since she was rarely shown, Barnabus even had more interaction with the doctor than her, and the hints of Roger's attraction for her led nowhere. I liked Angelique's character and interaction and her getting cut out from the movie would had left the whole as to why have the Collins had such bad luck in the past 200(actually 196) years. To me she was really important and good for the story. Coraline's reveal shouldn't had been hinted at, it should had been scrapped out entirely.
This review says almost everything I thought of the film, making any review of mine a bit redundant.
This film is an absolute mess. It starts by making us think Vikky is going to be the protagonist in a Cold Comfort Farm sort of setting, but then completely changes tact. Hell, Vikky disappears for long stints of the film! She stops being a character. I think they should have kept her as the protagonist, and simply made Barnabas a prominent family member.
The big problem is that ther is no sense of plot, or story arc, or set up and pay off, or any of those important storytelling techniques. Instead, the film meanders along without aim, and the climax consists of nothing but a bunch of goofy ass pulls. There were a couple of things I liked, such as the 70s soundtrack, Eva Green's maniacal, Bette Davis impression, and Barnabas's fish out of water humour. But they are disserviced by a directionless, confused film. I could tell from all the fidgeting in the audience that people just wanted it to wrap up (but didn't know when that would happen).
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Sorry, have to point out Helena portrayed Dr. Hoffman, not Angelique. Angelique is played by Eva Green.
Carolyn is hinted at a little. Her clothes are the type that won\'t be damaged easily, and she\'s called a \"fetching creature\". Also, soap opera source = ridiculous twists.
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Good start, but the climax is a bit naff
Overall, I thought Dark Shadows had an entertaining first half, but the end was poorly-executed.
The good first. The movie has just the right amount of camp to be entertaining without being stupid or obnoxious. Johnny Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins is tremendously entertaining in a Stranger in a Strange Time situation, and I actually laughed out loud at several of the jokes. Tim Burton's directorial style works really well in combining the gothic and the comic.
But there is also bad. First off, Victoria. She seems to be the main character when introduced, but is quickly pushed into the background when Barnabas reappears. Burton tries to set her up as as love interest for Barnabas, but the two barely interact, and when they do there's no chemistry. As it stands, she could easily have been cut without harming the movie. This wouldn't be too terrible, but the climax insists the two have some sort of deep, transcendent love, which they clearly don't.
Also, in the last 20 minutes, Caroline reveals out of the blue a secret of the sort that you really have to hint at before revealing.
The biggest flaw, however, is Angelique, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Angelique is entertaining, but comes across as a pitiful woman scorned who can't be complete without the love of a man she last met a really long time ago. There are some decent moments between Angelique and Barnabas, but overall they just aren't as entertaining as Barnabas' interactions with his descendants and the modern world.
Really, Burton was trying to make two movies here; one where Barnabas comes to terms with the present, and the other where he does so with his past. This movie would really have worked better if Angelique was cut almost entirely; rather than focusing on her conflict with Barnabas, a superior movie would have resulted from focusing entirely on Barnabas restoring the family fortunes. With Angelique out of the way, there would be time to actually have Victoria do stuff - like, for example, teach David, which is what she was hired for. This would allow her to act as a foil to the Collins family, throwing their characters into sharper relief.
Then, in the last five minutes, have Angelique appear, looking angry. Bam! Sequel hook that works much better than the rather rubbish one that actually made it in.