Dark Shadows feels like a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp flick, yet it does not deliver as one

Rating: 6/10 (2 June 2012)

I have not seen the TV series "Dark Shadows" so I cannot make a comparison. What I can say is that this film is very Tim Burton-esque. It is filled with pitch-black nights, fog, haunting scenarios, ghosts, witches, magic, Gothic architecture, a hint of wicked humor, and oddball characters. By the previews, this movie could go no wrong for Burton and Depp have made some very wonderful movies together: Ed Wood, Sweeney Todd, Sleepy Hollow, and Edward Scissorshands to name few.
"Dark Shadows" plot is very simple. In the late 18th century, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) is cursed to an immortal life as a vampire by the witch Angelique (Eva Green) over a case of jealous love. He reawakens in 1972 to find his manor in near ruins as well as his thoroughly dysfunctional, distant family facing bankruptcy. With the help of his very odd and indifferent family, he tries to rebuild his family's name and seek vengeance against Angelique.
The performances are great all around in this movie. Each character is given enough screen time to develop both a personality and a desire to be either liked or despised by the audience. Eva Green poses as the great, seductive villainous Angelique that can be hated yet adored by her stunning looks. Chloe Moritz once again plays the bad girl, as the rebellious teen Carolyn. Johnny Lee Miller passes off as the dimwitted dad who is out for himself. Gulliver McGrath plays the creepy little boy David that is only a couple of notches shy of Damien from The Omen. Helena Bonham Carter and Jackie Earle Haley pass off as the wacky drunks Dr. Koffman and Willie that supply some comic relief. The only character that seems to have any sanity in this movie is Elizabeth Collins, portrayed wonderfully by Michelle Pfeifer. Then of course there is Barnabas Collins. Depp does not play Barnabas as over the top as I had seen him as Ed Wood or Sweeney Todd. Instead, he is very subtle in his performance. His mannerisms and fluent delivery of lines gives the feeling that his character is a misunderstood and misplaced outcast, like his work as Edward Scissorhands. He does have his intense moments though.
In addition to a solid cast, the sets, costumes, make-up, and SFX make Dark Shadows look like a very nice film. Though "Dark Shadows" has the cast and production value, it is not that great of a movie. Most of this is because Dark Shadows tries to be funny and scary at the same time. Sure, there are some funny moments, but none of it had me rolling with laugher. Unfortunately, a bit of the humor is on the risqué side, which I did not desire or expect in this film. In regards to horror, the elements are there: ghosts, curses, and witches, but none of it is that frightening. In fact, there are not even any jump moments as a lame effort to be scary.
Adding more fuel to the fire, there are also some story flaws. Bits of dialog are thrown in at the final sequence to sheepishly explain some of the back-story that could have been explored much earlier in the film. The biggest problem I had with this movie was the music. Danny Elfman is a wonderful composer, but his music is almost non-existent in this feature. Instead, old 1970 rock songs like "Nights in White Satin" are played throughout the film's pivotal scenes. I understand that this was used as an attempt to create a nostalgic feeling of the 1970s, but it does not work at all for a Tim Burton flick. I want the magic of Danny Elfman—not the Moody Blues.
Dark Shadows is not a terrible movie. It had a lot of potential, specifically with a solid cast and great production values, but it falls flat on everything else. It feels like a Tim Burton movie, but at the same time it does not.