Dark Angel Movie Review - Part 1
- Rebecca Gustafson
- Aug 28, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 5, 2019
A Ridiculously In-Depth Analysis of the Dark Angel Movie that Nobody Asked For. But Here It Is. Blame Lifetime.
Heaven arrives in Boston on the bus supposedly from Winnerow, West Virginia. Even though the license plate on the bus was for Georgia. Lifetime continues to suck at continuity and she’s not even wearing the same outfit she was wearing at the end of “Heaven.”
Her hair is also different and she looks more tanned. I guess when she had to take that detour to Atlanta, Georgia she got herself a new haircut, a new outfit and spent some time on the beach.
Only Tony is there to greet Heaven when she arrives in Boston. In the book Heaven took a more practical form of transportation and arrived on an airplane. She flew to Atlanta, Georgia to get a connecting flight to Boston. Both Tony and Jillian were there to meet her when she arrived.
I was hoping Jason Priestley would make a good Tony Tatterton, but he is ill suited to the role. He delivers every line with the exact same bland cadence that I think is aiming for upper class authority, but it makes his performance very stiff and awkward. Every line has the exact same inflection and there’s barely any emotion behind everything he says.
Tony Tatterton is supposed to be sophisticated, commanding and intimidating. Jason Priestley looks more like a used car salesman. It also doesn’t help that he’s shorter than Annalise Basso so any authority he attempts to exert over her seems almost comical. She would definitely whoop his ass in a game of one-on-one basketball.
Tony tells Heaven right from the start that he’s not her biological grandfather. He also admits this to her in the book, too, during their first meeting.
On the car ride to Heaven’s new home, Tony touches her hair. Heaven gasps and pulls away from him. She has not had good experiences with old dudes touching her hair when she’s not expecting it so her alarm is understandable. Tony comments that Leigh’s hair was different. You mean her hair wasn’t bright flaming red? Good thing your memory is still in tact, Tony.
Heaven says it’s funny to hear Tony call her mother Leigh because back home everybody just called her Angel. Tony gives an amused laugh when he hears Leigh’s nickname and glances away.
They arrive at Farthinggale Manor and Heaven says it’s like a fairy tale. Heaven notices the hedge maze and asks about it, but Tony warns her she must never go in there. In the book Heaven finds the hedge maze on her own, but Tony does warn her at one point that the maze can be dangerous.
Lifetime’s budget hedge maze looks really cheap. I was expecting something neatly pruned, but their hedge maze looks choppy and uneven. I think it might even just be a grove of trees where they cut a couple of trees away to try and make it look like a hedge maze entrance.
As they pull up to the front door of Farthy, Tony tells Heaven, “I hope during your stay you and I will grow as close as your mother and I did.” I'll bet you do, Tony.
Tony reprimands Heaven when she goes to open her own door. He tells her to wait for the driver, “as is only befitting a step-granddaughter of mine.” Jason Preistley comes across about as commanding as a bus driver yelling at people to stop crowding the doorway.
Tony has a chauffeur to open the car door for him, but is fine with opening his own front door? I don’t think so. In the book the chauffeur was named Miles and there was also a butler named Curtis who opened the front door.
When they go in the house, Heaven takes a look around and is impressed by what she sees. There’s a maid standing off to one side holding a tray with a glass of what I assume is some sort of liquor. Does she just automatically do that anytime Tony comes home in case he’s feeling parched? Or is that her entire job? To stand there all day in case either Jillian or Tony needs a drink? I hope she has a relief shift.
That’s clearly how into this movie I am so far. I’m wondering more about the random servants than the main players.
Heaven notices some dolls that are similar to the one she had of her mother. Tony refers to them as “Picture Dolls,” but they were actually called “Portrait Dolls” in the book. He says Tatterton Toys makes many products, but that’s the one they’re famous for.
That wasn’t the case in the book. They were famous for creating finely crafted collector’s items for wealthy people. The Portrait Dolls were just one collection among a vast array that Tatterton Toys made.
In the book Tony refers to how they have a five-year backlog of orders for stone castles built to scale with every possible feature added including bridges, moats, people and animals. Tatteron Toys built every kind of collector’s item and they were one-of-a-kind creations. They weren’t most famous for creating the Portrait Dolls.
In the movie these creepy dolls that Tatterton Toys supposedly specializes in are everywhere, too. On the fireplace mantle, on a dresser in a distant room and on the side table where Heaven notices them. Well done, Set Decorator. You were told to get as many Annabelles as possible and you delivered!
Ed and Lorraine Warren would have their hands full of possessed dolls with Farthy.
Heaven mentions to Tony that she believes he had a doll made of her mother. Tony says that they did and that it disappeared when Leigh ran away. He asks if Heaven has it and we get a dramatic flashback to the “Heaven” movie when Kitty smashed the doll.
In the book Tony didn’t even acknowledge that a doll had been made of her mother. He takes Heaven on a tour of the main Tatterton Toys store. When she sees the Portrait Dolls she asks if one was made of her mother, but he deflects and says not to his knowledge.
Up Next in Part 2:
Jillian arrives but isn't herself!
Ed and Lorraine Warren have so much work to do!
The picture of Tom that makes zero sense!
Comments