Barnabus Collins scorns a witch who loves him and she turns him into a vampire and destroys his family's fortune. He returns 200 years later to revitalize it all.

Rating: 9/10 (10 November 2012)

I really do not understand why this movie is getting such a bad reputation.
My theory is that people were expecting something that this film was not: they wanted it to be true film adaptation to the original soap opera source material, they wanted to see Nightmare Before Christmas 2, they wanted a dark horror movie, they wanted a hilarious fantasy comedy, or maybe they expected Batman Returns Again.
If you watch this film with ANY expectations like the above, then you will be sorely disappointed. That is not to say that this film is bad because I actually love this film and think it's very, very good.
Tim Burton is really at the top of his directing game here because this movie is actually a blend of silly comedy, dark fantasy, 70's period piece, and revenge. These are drastically different genres but Burton sews them together very smoothly. One scene will have Barnabus trying to "fit in" to the 70's with silly results, and the next will be a blood- sucking murder of one of the characters. This movie has ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches, and somehow they all cohesively fit together without trying to kill each other for attention for the audience.
You can also tell that the script has been polished and fine-tuned to a brilliant level. I never once got tired of action or tired of the drama because Burton and his writers spaced things out and paced the movie very well. You never feel rushed to the end of the movie or dragged slowly through the mud; this film changes the pace accordingly to the ultimate climax at the end.
Of course none of this would work out if you didn't believe in the film's main character Barnabus Collins. Johnny Depp anchors this film with his truly amazing acting. If you reread his lines in this movie, you will know that a lesser actor will have audiences laughing at the ridiculousness of his words. I always thought Depp was good in general, but I am not a huge obsessive Depp fan. But he deserves high praise here because you can tell he takes his craft very seriously and it pays off. Depp plays Barnabus very straight-faced with no theatrical "wink" to the audience; he reads his lines as if he really were an 18th century merchant who turned into a vampire and has resurrected in 1972.
Equally important in this acting category is Eva Green, who plays Barnabus' former lover and the witch who turned him. Her character is more "out there" in terms of villains and she needed to act with the appropriate grandiose bad guy and obsessive-ex-girlfriend levels at the same time. She is fantastic here because she shows vulnerability as an ex who wants Barnabus back but also a cut-throat businesswoman out to destroy him. Oh yeah, I forgot she also has to play a villainous witch on top of those two qualities. She shines and plays a great counterpart to Depp.
In this movie, I found myself laughing, curious, and creeped out at the various times. I also came into this movie expecting nothing more than to be entertained, and it delivered more than that. I know Burton has a history of doing certain types of movies, but please don't go in expecting this and that. You have very polished and solid writing, very good acting, and silly comedic reliefs throughout the film. Just open your minds and go on a fun ride because this movie will surely keep you entertained if you don't label it beforehand.