RBR: Dark Shadows

Certain movie stars seem to gravitate towards particular directors. This is certainly true for Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, who have collaborated on a number of great films. But with their latest effort, Dark Shadows, there are signs that they may be due for a break from each other. Based on a cult favorite horror soap opera from the 1960s, Dark Shadows revolves around Barnabas Collins and his family. Collins is turned into a vampire after spurning the advances of a witch. Buried for nearly 200 years, Collins is dug up in 1972 and has to deal with living in a new world while trying to bring his family back into prominance. My description of the plot barely scratches the surface of what's going on in this film and that's one of the problems. There are a ton of subplots, none of which are the least bit interesting. The film meanders from one plot to the next only to try and cram resolutions to all of them within the last 15 minutes. I kept wondering what the point to all of this was. The humor falls flat, the scares are mild at best, and the sexual escapades are more cartoonish than enticing. If there's a strength to the film, it is its look. Of course, with Tim Burton directing, that's almost always going to be a given. In this outing, however, it's all style and no substance. I fail to see how this movie appeals to anyone. Fans of the original show will no doubt find this to be an injustice and the film offers nothing that would attract new fans. If you're a fan of the Depp/Burton team, skip this disappointingly dull effort and rewatch one of their earlier films instead. Rating: **