videodan32

OK. So it is cheap. The effects are terrible. The acting OK. The music choices vary in quality. Now that I got that out of the way....

This remake was fantastic and amazingly true in tone to the original making many improvements along the way. No spoilers here except to say that the updates made sense, the characters were fun, and everyone seemed to be having a good time making it. Malcolm McDowell did what he does so well playing the villain.

It was episodic, but so was the original. You get the feeling that the director studied the original for what worked, then brought that and a lot more into the remake. Roger Cormen and his daughter produced, so you know it was made by the right people (Cormen produced the original as well)

If you did not like it, you would not have liked the original. It was a worthy remake that reminds us what a lot of imagination can do on a limited budget. Cormen devotees should be thrilled.

First off, it is important to mention that I am an original Dark Shadows fan. After seeing the first preview, I realized that this was going to be more comedy than drama and not likely true to the original. OK. Reluctantly, I can accept the change of tone since I like Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. So maybe it will be a good Tim Burton movie regardless of the changes. It wasn't. First off-it was sloooooow (up until the last 15 minutes). I like good exposition, but it seemed pointless and uninvolving. Secondly, the story jumped around all over the place. No real build to anything. I don't want to give any spoilers (as if there are some to give), but the guest star was more of a side track and of no real importance to the plot at all. It was filler as was most of the movie. You would think that out of a thousand episodes of the original show they could have put together a decent story. I really wanted to like it. I tried to find a few golden moments, but there really weren't any. It just felt like a mess. I give it 3 stars only because I did like Johnny Depp's performance and most of the actors seemed well cast. In addition, I want Tim Burton to keep making movies (just not ones like this). Nice try. Getting a better script would have helped.

This is a British Horror/Comedy/Social Commentary that really works. Aliens invade the "hood" (Low income housing projects in England). No more plot details here.

Some things to know (no spoilers)---

***Low budget, cheesy creatures, but it works just fine ***Very thick English street dialect spoken throughout. Watch it with subtitles or you will miss half the dialogue ***Nick Frost has a small part, but don't watch it for him. Not much of him ***One of the producers was Edgar Wright ***This director/writer's first movie (I believe). Not perfect, but pretty great. Can't wait to see his next film. ***Short (less than an hour and a half) and sweet. Terrific ending. ***Clever social commentary mixed in with the gore.

I really liked this movie. It left me wanting more. Highly recommended.

First off...I do like this kind of movie, and as stated by others, knew this wasn't going to be Oscar material. I expected a genre piece with thrills, humor, bad dialogue, weak characters, etc. Basically-cheap thrills. Well...it succeeded, but did not really go beyond that. The 3d was underwhelming, the plot was average and not really that interesting, and it was actually kind of slow the first half. I am glad I did not pay full price. It would have been just fine as a late night offering on Cinemax. A few cuts above a SyFy Saturday flick, but not a whole lot. Funny, because I watched "Frankenfish" on TV earlier today, and it was nearly as good as Pirahna! Now, I don't mean to sell it short. I would see this kind of movie any day over "Eat, Pray, and Vomit", but I was expecting a bit more. All the best stuff was in the preview including the "surprise" ending. Just my 2 cents.

I liked the show season one, but thought it was hit and miss. Season 2 is showing great growth and has been more consistent in my opinion. The characters, situations, story arc, all moving forward. In addition, the actors are growing into their parts and seem to work well together. Many small creative touches make this incredible situation seem almost real. (I noticed a bit too much "techno-babble" in this weeks episode, but oh well).Keep it going! I really look forward to each new episode. Sure it is a bit frothy, nothing too deep, but the characters and uniqueness of the situations are fun and entertaining. When I want something more serious, I will watch it. This is imaginative and perfect summer fare!

I liked this movie. Was it the most original or best acted? No. Was it clever and stretched it's tiny budget well? You bet. I was pleased that the director made his money back. Made for less than a million dollars, it still looked better (overall except for some cheesy effects here and there)than many movies budgeted ten times higher. Give this one a chance knowing its limitations. Sure, other "independant" films may look better, but this showed the true joy of film-making.In addition, most of the cast worked for free.

Most telling--In a "making of" documentary, there is a scene where the cast is getting a first viewing of the finished film. They are hooting and hollering, many amazed at how well the finished film came out. This really reminded me of what film is all about. Not every film is a big budget blockbuster or a dramatic classic. Film can be fun. This movie is!