Dark Shadows

Airing from 1966-1971, the Gothic Soap Opera Dark Shadows has already seen cinematic life with House of Dark Shadows and Night of Dark Shadows. And now, with star Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, it is back to cinematic life for a new take.

In around 1756, the Collins family moves from England into their own Maine town Collinsport. While they make their fortunes in fishing, their son, Barnabas (Depp), earns the wrath of the witch Angelique (Eva Green). For revenge, Angelique kills Barnabas's family and true love, turns him into a vampire and has him buried. In 1972, a construction crew digs up Barnabas and satisfies his long-lasting thirst.

He returns home to his family manor to find it occupied by his descendants. Seeing the family business is in disarray, Barnabas sets himself in charge to bring back his family glory. But first, he has to deal with a rival company, whose CEO is the very witch responsible for his condition.

Those who know and enjoy Tim Burton's style won't be disappointed with this latest effort. It has colorful scenery, even more colorful costumes and that quirky Gothic atmosphere. The actors he assembles into the environment are also quite reliable in their roles. As Barnabas, Depp gets the film's best laughs from his adjusting to the modern day world. Many of the other supporting characters, from groundskeeper Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Hayley) and psychiatrist Dr. Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), are delightfully quirky.

But still, this isn't a well-mixed blend of comedy and horror. It starts off as seriously Gothic, turns comedic once Barnabas is freed and goes back to serious in the finale. In contrast, the TV show was actually quite campy and the earlier films were more "un-dead" serious. For many a viewer, this is quite jarring; however, it also felt like an exaggerated Soap Opera. That might've been what they were going for, and it should've been developed more.

Unlike Burton's previous film, Alice in Wonderland, this is a flatscreen-only presentation. So, the question is now whether to see this at all. My recommendation is that if you want to see it, then see it. Even though it has an identity crisis, it still has a few fun parts that make it worth the trip.