Started out good, all downhill from there...

Rating: 5/10 (14 May 2012)

I was really excited to see this movie after seeing the trailer on TV all the time. I love Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's done some good stuff, so I figured it would be a pretty decent movie. However, the trailers completely give you the wrong image, making it out to be a funny "fish out of water" comedy, when the movie itself it pretty dark and intense. I figured from the trailer it was PG-13 most likely because of language, but it was pretty violent and a bit sexual, not something you want your 6 year old seeing. Another thing, (I hate it when they do this!) ALL THE FUNNY LINES ARE IN THE TRAILER! So if you've seen the trailer, I kid you not, you've seen the entire comedic aspect of the movie.
They could have totally gone in another direction by making this strictly a comedy with not nearly as dramatic and intense a plot. I would have enjoyed it much better if it focused on the funny things Barnabas does while trying to assimilate into society, like the Disney movie "Enchanted" or "Back to the Future." There is one scene where Barnabas sees a McDonald's sign and thinks it's the Devil and another where he rips open the family TV thinking there is a "tiny songstress" inside! Why wasn't there more of that in the movie and why wasn't that the main focus? Instead, the story focuses on a corporate battle and the rivalry between Barnabas and the witch Angelique. Honestly, the rest of the characters are just pointless and do nothing. I get that Tim Burton was trying to stay true to the old TV show, but by doing that, he ends up cramming in a bunch of little subplots that are really pointless and lead no where. He could have appealed to a much larger audience and most likely been more successful if he had stuck with the comedy and even possibly made the film PG. To sum it all up, MORE COMEDY, LESS WEIRD DRAMA.