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Dark Shadows
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Dark Shadows

2012
Comedy
Fantasy
1h 53m
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Avg Percentile 29.71% from 2676 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(2675)
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Rated 13 May 2012
30
10th
Lazy and unfunny. (Not entirely unlike this mini-review)
Rated 29 May 2012
5
4th
Tim Burton: "Hello Mr. Executive, I have a new idea for a movie". Warner Bros Executive: "That's great Tim, what's the pitch?" Tim Burton: "Well I'm going to put lots of make-up on Johnny Depp and film it again". Warner Bros Executive: "Here's $150m".
Rated 14 May 2012
40
23rd
For every point- and harmless 'Johnny Depp in heavy make-up'-movie Tim Burton delivers the memory of what he once was - one of the most visionary directors of his time - grows fainter. But at least this one is way more entertaining than the last bunch AND it features more than enough of Eva Green's cleavage to keep the male parts of the audience fixated for two hours!
Rated 31 May 2012
53
25th
Two more movies with Burton and Johnny Depp gets the eleventh free!
Rated 12 May 2012
2
14th
There are amusing moments and performances, and attractive if oppressively Burtonesque production design, but the script feels much less like a story with forward momentum than just a bunch of loosely connected stuff happening, capped off with a goofy, cartoonish climactic action sequence. The trailer gave away almost all of the best jokes.
Rated 16 Aug 2014
40
10th
After an introduction which piqued my interest, this just went all over the place. Some moments worked fine, others fell flat, and some had me rolling my eyes. Just wasn't creepy, funny or inventive enough to hold my attention. A shame, as the film looked good, Alice Cooper was in it and there was maybe a good central idea at its core.
Rated 13 Jul 2014
30
17th
Dark Shadows is a film that exists so Johnny Depp can do his Johnny Depp thing, Tim Burton can do his Tim Burton thing, and everyone else can stand around watching them do their thing while nothing gets accomplished and millions of dollars get wasted. It looks good, it has some funny moments, but it's so completely shallow and devoid of plot and depth that once you get over Depp being moderately funny and the Gothic aesthetic, there's nothing to keep you watching for almost two hours.
Rated 24 Jan 2013
25
15th
Holy shit Burton will you just fuck Johnny Depp in the ass and then kill you and your black hole of a wife already
Rated 18 May 2012
50
20th
Feels like a bunch of events just sort of tossed together, trying to make it to the next punchline. Props for Alice Cooper and the whole 70's vibe.
Rated 10 Dec 2012
30
16th
One of the most gorgeous-looking movies of the year, but also one of the most wretchedly written. After two hundred years, a vampire digs himself out of his grave in 1972 and stumbles across his flaky descendants, but we get to watch him negotiate with fishing port owners and stupid, bland shit like that. The art direction's great, but this is almost appallingly bad. Easily Burton's worst.
Rated 12 May 2012
50
18th
I dig comedic fantasy so I do know that I liked the movie. What I'm struggling with is how much. It did have a very good cast who all played solid roles. I especially liked Bella Heathcote and Chloe Grace-Moretz. But I started to feel the movie really drag as it progressed. I can definitely appreciate both the 70's feel and the indirect references to 70's movies/shows thrown in there (a bit before my time but still appreciated). Some classic Burton verve, but could have used some more polishing.
Rated 29 Sep 2017
21
9th
The intensely atmospheric and legitimately creepy '60's cult soap opera is given the Tim Burton treatment. In case I need to spell it out, this is not a good thing. None of what created the cult following of the original is left, except a few plot details... none of the brooding mystery, none of the intensity. They're replaced by a lot of silliness and camp--the kind that doesn't have the balls to be truly fabulous. It's the kind of flick that gives camp a bad name.
Rated 14 Nov 2013
30
13th
The best thing I can say about this movie is that it made Eva Green look hot. For the rest I don't know what's up with Burton and Depp's collaboration. But I know they should be kept apart. By law if necessary.
Rated 27 Sep 2012
31
8th
Tim Burton needs to retire
Rated 26 May 2012
50
38th
Burton is a shadow of his former self - even pointing out that his shtick is getting old got old a long time ago. Nearly all his films from the past 15 years are meaningless, over the top amalgamations of things he already did better. Tim, enough is enough. Also: Villains you make us hate are shitty villains. People don't remember the likes of Hans Gruber for being a whiny, irrational bitch. Depp gets a few laughs, but the film is a chore, despite being Burton's best in a while(!).
Rated 03 Jun 2012
45
9th
This is an interesting idea that goes wrong in a lot of ways. The dramatic thread of the movie is abandoned and picked up at random intervals, far too many of the jokes fall flat, and it just isn't terribly entertaining. I don't mind mixing tones and ideas, but this movie just throws in complete schlock gags whenever it feels like it and then tries to follow a serious dramatic thread with Barnabus Collins (Depp) lamenting his existence as a vampire. There's some charm, but it's just a mess.
Rated 09 May 2012
50
40th
Depp is funny and the film delivers the comedy it was meant to be by the hands of Burton. Everything else on the other hand.. The exposition is muddy and conventional, the characters motivations patterns are less than perfect, the ending is far too long and the narrative and the plot structure is a mess. But, I still think the cast pulls somewhere over the bar of completely shit. Oh, and Alice Cooper and the groovy 70's music.
Rated 07 Oct 2019
75
69th
I know nothing about the original tv show But I liked this dark comedy I felt like it captured the feel of the 70's and although Johnny Depp is well known for quirky dark comedies I feel like it's his funniest movie to date
Rated 13 Nov 2012
45
17th
About halfway in, I was just bored and wanted it to end. The film has plenty of actors I like a lot, but none of their performances were good or memorable. A major problem with it was that they didn't seem to be able to choose a genre and stick with it. One minute, it was all silly comical gags, and the next, it was all morbid horror. I did like the 70s style and the music that accompanied it, but that was about all. I'm a fan of Tim Burton, but he really needs to try something new, and soon.
Rated 11 Oct 2012
51
16th
This isn't terrible, it isn't great it is just indecisive. It cannot decide what kind of movie it wants to be. Insert crazy situation, play 70's music, now decide whether something horrible and violent occurs, or something campy and fun. There is murder by the dozens, beating of women but also slapstick hilarity. Gets some points for the soundtrack and a few good jokes.
Rated 27 Mar 2017
20
3rd
A painful script, about the problems of getting involved with a crazy possessive bitch, leads the film to descend further and further into a tedious procession of disjointed, unfunny, charmless scenes. Tim Burton has always, ALWAYS been bad. If you believe otherwise, try to grasp that it was just your (understandable) youthful wish to believe that it would be dark and cool to like something dark and cool. His badness is fact. Timeless fact. Now excuse me while I fetch my pipe and slippers.
Rated 15 May 2012
73
35th
Not knowing the TV series I somehow liked the movie. Johnny Depp does some serious acting as do the other actors, however the film was not really well balanced. I could not decide whether to be a comedy or a drama although it was promoted as a comedy.
Rated 22 Jun 2013
40
6th
As if Burton is out of ideas this time. The film doesn't know who he is. I think i have to assume Burtonhas lost his creativity, i hope he recovers, i am still a fan. Depp did a good job, but he can't fix the thing all by himself.
Rated 02 Jul 2013
55
25th
A hard movie to review since most criticisms (cheesy, soapy, bad acting) also apply to the original Dark Shadows serial that this was specifically made as a followup to. That is, it's true to what it was meant to be: campy. Eva Green & Gulliver McGrath were truly horrid; Depp did his usual great job but he couldn't quite ressurect (ha!) the film. I wish the relationship between Barnabus & Victoria would have been explored further. The film had a few good laughs but not enough to recommend it.
Rated 12 May 2012
75
22nd
It feels just like a Tim Burton movie - whimsical, funny and dark - which would be oxymoronic for other filmmakers, but is just standard for Tim Burton. The acting, dialogue, music, almost all elements of it is solid, but the plot is a huge letdown. It feels like a series of barely-connected events lurching forward to deliver its next joke to the audience, like a drunkard bar-hopping. It works well for the first hour, but towards the end, the lack of a plot means the movie ends on a whimper.
Rated 18 May 2012
5
8th
I adored the classic rock soundtrack and '70s setting, but this was otherwise so-so, with a finale nonsensical to the point of insult.
Rated 04 Jun 2012
80
48th
Tim Burton is indeed getting less and less impressive, but doesn't cease to create beautiful worlds -- so it was nice to look at. The main reason I'm giving it a decent score is because I loved the humor. I was laughing pretty hard. Depp was flawless, as usual, and most of the other actors gave a good performance. It was a predictable story-line, but still fun to watch. I think this film has pretty quotable jokes, too!
Rated 21 Mar 2013
40
18th
One of the most atmospheric Burton movies in a long while, but little does that help, when the movie has no idea what story it wants to tell or why.
Rated 14 Oct 2012
8
4th
Tim Burton joins the ranks of the greats like Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and the Coen Brothers, as one of those good directors who keep continually making horrible movies. Nothing redeeming here except for Alice Cooper.
Rated 25 Jun 2012
75
45th
Burton Depp Carter = Same story, still enjoyable.
Rated 17 Jun 2012
59
51st
Even to me, as a Burton/BonhamCarter/Depp fan, this was a pretty disappointing film. Certainly, both leading actors are doing great, but the unconvincing story unfortunately cancels most of their efforts. The jokes are too forced, the characters too shallow... the intentions were there, but the result is just not good enough.
Rated 13 Sep 2012
50
8th
Quite entertaining, but too chaotic. Burton should stick to Production Design, and leave the direction to someone more concetrated and SKILLFUL.
Rated 25 Jul 2012
5
15th
Considering how silly the original Dark Shadows was, this wasn't too off-base. I love Johnny Depp, but he definitely tried too hard to be funny, something he should not have to do.
Rated 20 May 2012
60
11th
1/2 of this umpteenth Burton stinker is innocuous enough as Depp's supercilious yet family-minded vampire makes 4 a good fish out of water as the film treads same trying 2 b amusing. When the film gets back 2 its only real conflict it devolves in2 the familiar mainstream mess as it attempts 2 stitch together the many 1-note characters who exist only 4 Depp 2 bounce off of & truncated ideas from what feels like a multitude of rewrites. Burton has, again, put a suit & tie on what used 2 b unusual.
Rated 12 Aug 2017
35
17th
After recently seeing Beetlejuice and remembering what a good Burton film feels like, I quickly came back to the reality of his latter, mediocre-at-best career. Acting is forced and uninspired for a big part of the film and the weak dialogue certainly doesn't help. - for a few good chuckles and a plethora of meh jokes, a ridiculous sex scene, chaotic pace. + for sexy Eva Green, as usual, T Rex and other good tunes, Alice Cooper the "ugliest woman I've ever seen." Could've been so much better.
Rated 22 Sep 2013
30
11th
This film is a really confusing collage of worn out jokes, scenes that don't fit together and characters who suddenly disappear for half of the movie. It feels like Burton is not even trying anymore. Very disappointing.
Rated 15 Dec 2016
10
22nd
did not expect Tim Burton such weak film.
Rated 10 Jul 2012
8
55th
The entire movie is fantastic: lighting, characters, acting, the works. What Dark Shadows suffers from is terrible editing. If one only rearranged the order in which certain events happened in the film, it would be a truly enjoyable flick.
Rated 14 Jul 2013
55
14th
Frustratingly derivative film gets off to a shaky start by not being able to commit to a consistent tone or atmosphere; while it settles down somewhat, it remains an awkward mishmash of comedy, gothic romance and horror, and doesn't succeed on any front (though an energetic sex scene appropriately scored gets a big laugh, and an amusing cameo by Lee is a definite highlight.) Depp is fine, though the Captain Sparrow schtick is getting old, and Pfeiffer is an asset to any movie she appears in.
Rated 22 Dec 2013
38
16th
The visuals are top notch but Tim Burton never finds a consistent rhythm, mixing campy jokes and gothic spookiness with less success than other Johnny Depp collaborations.
Rated 31 Aug 2012
77
51st
Very Burtony, but on the good side of what that means. It's an entertaining silly story with interesting characters, even if most of them are underdeveloped and under utilized.
Rated 02 Jun 2013
40
19th
I think it is close to the actual source material? A little bit? Maybe just character names? I just found it a mess.
Rated 19 May 2012
50
4th
I think this tries way too hard to be funny, but it almost never is. And I guess trying too hard is what makes Burton what he is today, but something like playing the Barry White song as they're having wild sex or including Alice Cooper just feels cheap to me (even if Cooper rocks). Honestly, Depp never impressed me for a second, especially after watching Dead Man a couple weeks ago, but the ensemble itself isn't too bad. At the very least it's nice to see Michelle Pfeiffer on screen.
Rated 28 Oct 2012
39
30th
Fine cast and a fine idea to bring a vampire to the modern days. Shame that the directing was mostly running from one effect to the other. There was no pacing what so ever and a good camerawork was in vain. And yes, hellboy76, the director could not decide the genre.
Rated 06 Nov 2012
11
5th
Nothing wrong with mixing drama and comedy, but it needs to be done with skill and some subtlety. Both seem to be missing here, particularly the latter. If ever a movie could be said to suffer from bi-polar disorder, it is this one. Gothic screwball melodrama just doesn't work apparently... who knew? The Burton/Depp shtick has completely worn out its welcome at this point.
Rated 03 Feb 2015
13
7th
It should be good, but it isn't. It's not clear if it is willing to be funny or not.
Rated 11 Nov 2013
74
41st
Johnny Depp's fairly good in this and it has its moments of dark humor but Burton's mistake was shifting a soap opera's unintential comedy into a straight forward comedy but not a parody. Which is too bad because besides the lackluster main plot there's some very macabre story elements here that could have made for a harrowing film. Overall this just isn't a good comedy and that's too much for it to over come.
Rated 09 Jan 2013
60
30th
Burton should stop making these fairy-tales for at least few years. Lately all of them have a "been there done that" feeling. It's all mesmerizing and all,but that's not enough now,is it?
Rated 11 Jun 2012
35
4th
Really weak! I was able to predict the next scene each time. Probably good for kids though
Rated 02 Sep 2012
60
38th
Loved the 70s vibe, and Michelle Pfeiffer is still looking good, but other than that it was just okay.
Rated 09 Jul 2017
43
10th
(Viewed in 2012): Burton & Depp's creative relationship hit the wall with Alice, and while D.S isn't quite as bad as that travesty, it is a dispiritingly dumb and unenventful film that merely confirms their has-been status. After a promising start it quickly goes downhill as tonal problems and throwaway gags firmly take hold; and while it looks good, neither Burton or Delbonnel can shoot their way around the bad script. Depp's empty egocentric performance adds nothing of value or interest.
Rated 08 Jun 2012
40
8th
A mess.
Rated 08 Nov 2017
66
24th
I don't know, it's just a couple weird guys doing their weird, idiosyncratic stuff. Burton can hit the mark sometimes, but just because you put some creepy/goofy set design in a movie doesn't make it gold, same goes for Depp, just because you're character's quirky and seems like he's missing a marble or two doesn't mean you're getting an Oscar. Forget this movie, everyone else did by now anyway.
Rated 26 Aug 2012
87
55th
What can I say, its a Tim burton movie, but unlike alot of people i mean that positively, not one of his classics, but regardless its an entertaining movie to waste some time on. Given the source material, it could've been worse. It could have been a serious drama, but how many vampiric dramas do we really need? I think it was a good decision to make it comedical. sometimes a little light heartedness can go a long way.
Rated 07 Jan 2013
1
17th
Starts out promisingly, but the story doesn't go anywhere and devolves into endless tedium.
Rated 19 May 2012
69
19th
Dark Shadows isn't a great film, but by no stretch of the imagination would I call it a bad film. It's true the screenplay could have used some work, especially when everything goes bananas in the third act, but Depp's pitch-perfect theatrics are worth the watch. The production values are great as expected, but I feel like Burton's films retain less and less reality the more he makes. They're just kind of pretty stages. Depp is usually the only one giving his films any life anymore.
Rated 23 Dec 2012
53
36th
It started off strong as a surprisingly well done horror-type piece with a little bit of quirk, but then, you were able to see things coming a mile away, and were treated to some pretty bad dialogue, and the villain just became too over the top. I still enjoyed it, but it really could've been much more.
Rated 10 Sep 2012
62
21st
yet another "we're all weird and I have a wild imagination" movie from Tim Burton...He should stop doing the same thing over and over
Rated 14 Dec 2014
45
10th
Holy fuck this was bad. I thought it was going to be kinda clever. I thought it might even be similar to the television show in some way. Nope, this was just a shit film.
Rated 26 Oct 2014
70
9th
They tried. Michelle Pfeiffer brought the game but Burton and Depp let her down.
Rated 12 May 2012
60
48th
Excellent performance from Johnny Depp(really, does he ever do a bad job?) in which he was quite funny. The rest of the cast was adequate. At times, this movie could have been a lot more fun, but it is not that bad either.
Rated 21 Jun 2012
25
5th
Johnny Depp wears a lot of make-up, Chloe Grace Moretz sneers the entire movie, and no jokes are made that weren't done to death in the trailers. It doesn't work well in any capacity despite attempts at being a comedy, romance, action, fantasy, period piece.
Rated 26 Feb 2014
36
26th
If you gave someone wholly without talent $160million and said "make a Tim Burton movie," this would be the result. So, why was this actually made by Tim Burton?
Rated 11 May 2012
35
27th
Eva Green's hotness almost makes up for the fact that she apparently can't act. Almost.
Rated 23 Jun 2012
54
40th
After an amazing prologue, Burton puts Barnabas in a TV-driven structure of funny sketches, sometimes turning scary moments into goofy ones, and closing it in a typical lot-of-stuff-happening finale. Looks gorgeously pop, but we've seen all this material in Edward, Sweeney and Corpse Bride. This is truly dark, but not the best Burton's dark.
Rated 22 Sep 2013
30
30th
From the intro sequence it's obvious you're in for a disaster. Apparently they tried to cram a whole tv series into a single feature film. It just can't decide what to focus on and you'll get minor, pointless characters getting extensive screen time while the obviously important ones are nowhere to be seen. Tim Burton has lost the plot.
Rated 05 Sep 2012
74
60th
It's really hard to express how magical some sceneries look here,with mist, fantasy, suspence and action mixed together.Tim Burton made another great movie. I really enjoyed stage make-up in certain scenes,which are like his signature.Music is perfectly chosen for each moment.Lovely. I was only feeling disturbed twice.Somehow, it's different in one aspect from his other works, but fortunately, nothing was shown directly.Main hero is sort of likeable, but he's also an ass :/ Generally: enjoyable.
Rated 31 Oct 2012
1
11th
Infuriatingly tedious.
Rated 16 Sep 2012
60
30th
Another whimsical dark comedy by Tim Burton. Depp is again heavily made up in typical androgynous goth fashion. Depp turns in a decent performance as Collins. However too much of this film has a lacquered on CGI veneer to disguise its mediocrity rather than focusing on the strange melodramatic world of Dark Shadows. Burton's vision is incapable of forming the same suspenseful and weird atmosphere as the original to do it justice. It's a costly loud remake with little substance.
Rated 21 Nov 2012
70
47th
If you go into this film with the expectation that it will be like the show, you will not enjoy it in the least.
Rated 07 Jul 2012
70
20th
Johnny Depp is at his best in this movie. The movie "looks" good and has hilarious dialogues. While I would not call it a must watch you won't regret it if you did watch it.
Rated 02 Mar 2014
40
6th
Dumb, boring, uninteresting....waste of time
Rated 17 May 2012
60
14th
A film which started like a classic Burton movie, slowly turned into something less than lacklustre.
Rated 07 Dec 2013
46
23rd
The usual Burton/Depp shtick
Rated 12 May 2012
65
31st
The plot felt tired and cliched. There is zero chemistry between Johnny Depp and Isabella Heathcote. While there were a few funny lines thrown around, overall the story and the characters are just not engaging - never once did I feel like rooting for, or sympathizing with Barnabas Collins in his struggle to revive his family or in his fight against his archenemy cum ex-lover. It felt like a run-of-the-mill comedy film.
Rated 31 May 2012
50
35th
Some laughs but rather disappointing.
Rated 11 Dec 2013
50
1st
Perhaps the worst Tim Burton movie. Even Johnny Depp cannot save it. It is not at all funny.
Rated 04 Sep 2012
50
26th
I really expected much more after I watched the trailer. But it was okay.. i guess.
Rated 29 Jan 2016
33
25th
okay
Rated 16 Mar 2013
65
6th
Depp and Pfeiffer seem to be in another movie altogether that is weirder, funnier and darker than Dark Shadows. Too bad it didn't get made.
Rated 25 Nov 2012
50
13th
Tim Burton is a great director but he seriously needs to grow up.
Rated 31 Oct 2012
35
11th
You'll like this if you're a fucking loser.
Rated 11 May 2012
69
24th
A curate's egg of a film, with some sizable flaws mixed in with a good deal that works; the first act in particular is rough-going, but it comes to develop its own ragged rhythm, no thanks to a muddled, repetitive script. Tim Burton brings some of his old verve to the table, and assembles a game cast; Johnny Depp is solid, but Michelle Pfeiffer and (especially) Eva Green sink their teeth into their roles. Top-notch production design and special effects...but the script truly does need work.
Rated 12 May 2012
5
17th
Absolutely horrible. What a shame, the cast was so great.
Rated 24 Dec 2012
60
34th
EHN
Rated 30 Nov 2012
73
22nd
A disappointment.
Rated 09 Jan 2018
40
13th
There is always the Tim Burton visual style to fall back on. As well as some occasional clever humor from Johnny Depp. Other then that however, Dark Shadows is a pale shadow of the 1960s soap opera it is based on.
Rated 08 Oct 2012
63
40th
I tried to really like it. But... there are too many scenes that amount to nothing, and too may 'comedy' moments which aren't funny.
Rated 31 May 2015
3
5th
While there's occasionally a successful gag, and Depp--as well as the rest of the cast--play their parts well, "Dark Shadows" is meandering, inconsequential, and tonally confused.
Rated 31 Oct 2017
97
81st
1
Rated 09 Nov 2012
76
37th
Not quite as bad ad it's made out to be. Most of it is actually pretty great thanks to Depp's entertaining performance and clever humor. However, the third act seems like a totally different, much sillier movie with reveals that seem more random than satisfying.
Rated 10 Jul 2022
45
7th
After years of seeing the trailers, I finally watched this. What is advertised as dark comedy is only minorly dark and not particularly funny at all. Some of the worse performances by even the best actors in it. Pretty much a waste of my time. Good thing I was doing my nails and had the time to waste.
Rated 24 Sep 2021
50
8th
What is Tim Burton doing? This was the thought that was going through my head the whole time that I watched this movie. Of course there were parts of this movie that were likeable in that undeniable way that Burton movies are charming. I love seeing Jackie Earle Haley in anything. Alice Cooper was also a treat. These moments were few and far between. There were times where I realized that they were trying to jam too much story into the span of a movie. It just wasn't that interesting overall.
Rated 03 Sep 2012
84
84th
Just love it. The whole dark touch in the movie, the humor and the story. Reminds me of Sweeney Todd.
Rated 16 Jul 2023
0
4th
don't remember it Would score 50 except Johnny Depp abusive
Rated 10 Jul 2013
66
36th
Not one of Depp's best movies but I guess was ok.
Rated 05 Jun 2022
61
37th
Tim Burton'ın alışık olduğumuz tarzında üstüne düşünmeden eğlenip geçebileceğiniz kadrosu sağlam bir film.
Rated 16 Jan 2021
57
18th
Takes a bit too long to get going, but definitely has its moments. For a latter-day Depp/Burton film this is fine off-kilter entertainment. Feels like a kids film at times based on simple (if scatterbrained) plotting and colourful style, even if the content and tone sometimes suggests otherwise. In the end, probably too many characters to do justice to in a single outing, even though the cast do good work and I enjoyed all the turns. Feels like a minor triumph that it all just about works.
Rated 29 Sep 2012
60
33rd
Do przelkniecia, choc zaluje, ze wybralem sie do kina. W telewizorze/na monitorze - jak najbardziej.
Rated 15 Jan 2013
72
41st
With the exception of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, I've never seen Depp enjoy playing a role as much as he seems to enjoy playing Barnabas Collins. The visuals are excellent and there is a silly but hot love scene, and right there in the middle of it all is this fun and funny performance by Depp, who makes up for a story that's somewhat less than compelling. Recommended on the strength of Depp's performance alone; however, there's a quite a bit else to like.

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