REVIEW: DARK SHADOWS

Most movies, at least it seems nowadays, people don't care who's directing a film.  Although Joss Whedon is a respected name in Hollywood, you think a billion people saw "The Avengers" for the sake of Joss Whedon? No.  Last year's "Hugo" suffered the opposite fate; legend Martin Scorsese was at the helm, it got massive critical acclaim (deservedly) and it still earned less than its budget.  So here's the question: are directors selling points to movies anymore?

The answer: maybe, but Tim Burton is certainly the exception.  An array of beautiful, eccentric characters comes to mind, most of them featuring Johnny Depp, the Thelma to his Louise: the Mad Hatter in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands cutting paper, Beetlejuice terrorizing homeowners and Sweeney Todd giving "haircuts."  Just thinking of his movies puts a smile on your face.  While not all his projects are on par, like his remake of "Planet of the Apes," even when his movies are bad, there certainly is a .....Burtonism to them.

That's exactly what "Dark Shadows" is.  A Burtonism.  Is it as bad as the "Planet of the Apes?"  I've only seen snippets of that on basic cable and I can safely report no, based on makeup alone.  Is it his best foot forward?  I'd disagree.

"Dark Shadows," as I'm sure you're aware, was a soap opera in the 60's, and that definitely shows in this film adaption.  The beginning of it is a dark, moody opening where we see Barnabas being cursed by a witch, Angelique (played wildly over the top by Eva Green).  He's thrown in a coffin, woken up in 200 years in 1972, where everything, of course, has changed, including him...he's now a vampire.  Depp is reliably incredible in his sultry, dark turn.  Burton could probably cast Depp as a shoe in his next movie and he'd still be the scene-stealer.  The two must have some incomparable working bond, or at least a solid friendship that lets Burton coax these ingenious performances out of him.

There's two areas Burton usually gets right: the casting and the visuals, which are stunning.  Michelle Pfeiffer, always reliable, is sufficient as the matriarch of the Collins family. Helena Bonham Carter, another Burton staple, is amusing as Barnabas' doctor/semi-love interest. Who really took it home in the film is the talented Chloe Grace Mortez (right), who I haven't seen since "Hugo."  Her character has an interesting twist at the end, and her seemingly always drugged out presence is entertaining.

"Dark Shadow's" downfall is it just can't decide on what genre it is.  In the start, it's a horror film.  Then it makes a good transition into a satirical comedy of the progressively annoying vampire genre.  After, things just get sloppy, and by the end, the disturbing end, by the way, it ends on such a fleeting, odd note you're not sure what to think.  Had Burton played it straightforward drama, "Dark Shadows" could have come out as a creepy,   fascinating addition to his canon.  Instead, like Collins in his tomb, it just lays there.

Rating: 2/4 stars