This darkness is getting old.

Rating: 4/10 (22 May 2012)

I'd made a conscious decision to avoid previous Tim Burton films Alice in Wonderland, Sweeney Todd, Corpse Bride, and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory because, quite simply, I was fed up with the same actors playing the same dark, quirky, disturbed characters. Why did I give in and go see Dark Shadows? I'm asking myself the same question.
I rate Jonny Depp highly and love some of his movies, but this is clearly a pet project of his and an excuse to share his nostalgia for some old TV programme no-one's heard of (ok, so i'm speaking from a UK point of view). Stars cashing in on their fame and fortune to make something close to their heart is fine when the end product is worthwhile. That's not the case here.
The plot is a total mess with the minor characters flitting in and out of the story to facilitate the contrived journey of Barnabus (Jonny Depp). I found it annoying how some of the minor characters were used for the convenience of the plot without explaining the backgrounds to their stories. Bella Heathcote's character is set up in the beginning as the star-crossed lover who is seemingly a major part of the plot and then hardly used subsequently. Okay, okay, we know this is a Jonny Depp vehicle and no-one else matters, but is there any chance of it making some sense?
Incidentally, two of the four stars are for Eva Green.