Lets be fair here.

Rating: 6/10 (27 May 2013)

Okay first off, this is NOTHING on ANY of the TV shows. The 1966 version OR the 1991 version. In comparison, this film is a steaming pile of crap. Lets be fair from here on in and judge it on its own. I do hold SOME respect for it because it is how I discovered the others but that's it.
First off, this film is rather confused as to the genre, is it having a joke at the original show or is it a remake? If they seriously thought that we would see the characters as anything but idiots after this guy shows up on the doorstep with white skin, Max Schreck fingernails, an outfit from the 1790's with blood on it an a strange resemblance to one of their ancestors (which the family history is also littered with legend as Pfeifer's character said) do you really expect us to believe that the Collins family can't see that he's a vampire? In that getup it was either that or "Its Halloween" and that would be dismissed as soon as he walks by any mirrors or sees any modern technology.
This film is actually a pretty stupid film. Every joke is a consistent "Oh, Barnabus is a guy from the 1700's, why don't we joke about how he can't get the hang of a 1972 lifestyle?" Some of these jokes are funny though. The one that is the most memorable is "Are you stoned or something?" "They tried stoning me, my dear. It did not work." That or his reaction to Alice Cooper.
The acting is, for the most part, better left unmentioned. Johnny Depp is the only performer where I would say "He could've actually done a great job, all he needed is a better script" and the worst one is either Eva Green who plays Angelique, the French witch servant girl, with an American accent (What TheFu#ck??) and Helena Bonham Carter who is just plain miscast. Then there is everyone else in between...and the only other memorable one is Jackie Earle Hayley but that's purely because my brother saw Watchmen and kept saying what a great actor he was.
The visual style of Burton is still in this film and remains there throughout. Its probably the best thing about this film. Needless to say the cinematography and the visual effects are amazing.
I also have to respect that they got the gist of the story that ran for 5 years into a small 2 hours. It took this, the first 40 minutes, to sum up 80 20 minute episodes.
The other thing that I think needs a mention is the fact that this is the only version that ends off with closure. Look at the soap that ran for 5 years and has 1245 episodes, that does not have closure. The 1991 version with 12 episodes, that does not end off with closure. If any of you want to see the Collins family actually..."end" then this is the version for you.
Overall this is a "dodgy" film but I can certainly think of worse things to watch.