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Dark Shadows offers stunning visuals, a delightfully dark atmosphere, quirky humor, and a talented cast in spite of an inconsistent story and a lack of narrative focus

Few director-star collaborations have been as fruitful as that of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, or for that matter quite so deliciously eccentric, and their eighth time together proves no different.

Never mind if you haven't any inkling of the cult '70s daytime soap opera on which this is based- a swiftly told prologue recalls the setup by telling of the Collins' voyage to America, their instrumental role in the founding of the Maine seaside town called Collinsport by starting up a successful fishery business, and most importantly, of their heir Barnabas' unfortunate run-in with a jealous witch Angelique (Eva Green). Spurned by Barnabas for another named Josette (Bella Heathcote), Angelique hypnotises her to throw herself off a cliff while turning Barnabas into a vampire and imprisoning him in a coffin.

It will be nearly two centuries later by the time some construction workers inadvertently free him, awakening Barnabas to an unfamiliar era where he promptly mistakes the golden arches of a McDonald's for Mephistopheles. That's not the end of the fish-out-of-water jokes that passes as humour- other than the anachronistic values about women and childbirth that Barnabas still clings to, he is just as out of step in front of a TV playing a Karen Carpenter show or among a bunch of hippies.

Fans of the original series may object to the deliberately campy tone that Burton and his screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (with an extra story credit to Burton's frequent writing partner John August) adopt for the movie, but those less bound by expectations will lap up Johnny Depp's delightfully quirky rendition of Barnabas. As always, Depp is a master at facial reactions, with every twitch and raised eyebrow perfectly calibrated to elicit maximum hilarity. Depp and Burton are fully aware of the campiness, but both embrace it so wholeheartedly that you can't quite help but be won by their fidelity.

There is also much more than just Barnabas' anachronism of course, with Smith giving the film its due weight in Barnabas' mission of restoring the former Collinwood empire to its former glory. Since locking Barnabas away, Angelique has spent her time building up her own booming fishing business. In the meantime, the Collins have been content to let their lives fall into decay like their sprawling mansion- among the dysfunctional members the matriarch Elizabeth (Michelle Pfeiffer), her dissolute brother Roger (Jonny Lee Miller), her impudent teenage daughter Carolyn (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Roger's disturbed young son David (Gully McGrath).

However kooky they may be, Barnabas regards them one and all as family- and as Depp's opening voice-over emphasises, blood is indeed thicker than water. Burton-Depp's collaborations have always demonstrated a tremendous amount of heart for peculiar characters, and this latest reaffirms their love for characters of different quirks and idiosyncrasies.

Restoring the empire to its former lustre earns the ire of none other than Angelique itself, the ensuing love-hate relationship between the pair giving the film a mildly sexual edge as well as a thrilling climax which culminates in a visually sumptuous showdown. Admittedly the pace does amble on with little narrative tension for most of the movie, but Burton eventually satiates the thirst for bombast in summer audiences with an extended ending made with most of the film's inflated budget unheard of in the days of the TV series' miniscule own.

To be fair, some of that has obviously gone into the ornate sets by production designer Rick Heinrichs as well as the elaborate costumes designed by Colleen Atwood. As is Burton's signature, the imagery stands out as much as the characters do, and the finale is a perfect example of the visual richness of Burton's warped imagination brought to life with CGI. But Burton is not foolish enough to rely simply on these modern-day devices, relying too on good-old fashioned casting to ensure that his film is also a rapturous delight.

Any actor besides Depp would probably be upstaged by the fine female cast, each of whom shine not simply because of Atwood's colourful costumes. The standout would probably be Green, who plays Angelique with bewitching aplomb, projecting sass and menace with razor-sharp precision and setting off dangerous sparks with Depp as ex-lovers. With Green's showy performance, it's easy to ignore Pfeiffer's more understated but no less loopy own, the actress who once played Catwoman in Burton's 'Batman Returns' clearly relishing one of her best roles in recent years. Bonham Carter unfortunately gets sidelined in this film, her act as a neurotic shrink underwritten and quite out-of-place amidst the other unfolding plot lines.

Amidst the new faces, Burton also pays homage to the original actors of the TV series by inviting four of them- Jonathan Frid, Lara Parker, Kathryn Leigh Scott and David Selby- to appear briefly in the film, as well as the era's definitive musician Alice Cooper for an extended cameo. Despite his irreverent take on the material, Burton is clearly in love with the artefacts of the '70s, and the film's awesome soundtrack with the likes of Moody Blues and the Carpenters is testament to that.

So yes, fans of the TV series will have to accept that this big-screen adaptation is a reimagining of the original. Yet for those without that historical baggage, it is with any of the Burton-Depp collaborations that have come before it a thoroughly enjoyable visual feast filled with offbeat characters that turn out ghoulishly endearing. This is clearly a passion project for both Depp and Burton, and 'Dark Shadows' as its deliberately idiosyncratic title suggests is an unusual summer season offering that packs its own unique brand of kooky appeal.

I love Johnny Depp and I love Tim Burton. Together they can be sublime. Look at "Ed Wood" and "Sweeney Todd" Here, well here they seem kind of lost. Everything is in over the top tones without getting to the root of anything. The performances are shrill and disconnected with the exception of the wonderful Helena Bonham Carter. The script is underwritten and the story is tired and unconvincing but in the present film going landscape it is more enjoyable than most others. I'm tempted to advise Mr. Burton and Mr.Depp to be a bit more daring in their intentions. We're all aware of Burton's visual wizardry and of Depp's remarkable beauty and talent, why not put all that at the service of something meaningful?

I am a Johnny Depp and Tim Burton fan girl!!!!! That being said...

The intro excited me, but the rest of the movie made me regret buying the tickets. The movie is a downward spiral of awkward acting and bad jokes.

Burton's visuals are wonderful as always. His colors and scenes make you believe you are where he wants you to be, but the dialogue is simply horrendous for most of the movie. You get rewarded by a few funny jokes for not walking out of the theater once Collins reaches the house, but otherwise are left feeling underwhelmed.

I wont spoil it with details (not that there is much to spoil), but I will say this: Leave your lofty expectations at the theater door so you don't get pushed off cloud nine only to land on 100 degree cement... barefoot.

Tim Burton is probably one of the best choices to direct a Dark Shadows movie. He's always good at making Dark, Gothic films and everyone's expecting it to be something like Sweeney Todd and Sleepy Hollow. Instead, it has a hybrid of Corpse Bride and Beetlejuice. It begins with decent gloominess but the rest is scattered with groovy soundtrack and colorful images. But that may not be the problem. It's actually pretty good at recapturing the 70's. The main problem is the plot development. It's fun but also disappointing.

It looks promising in the beginning. Tim Burton uses his campy directing style which made the intro intriguing. It get silly when Barnabas returns from his grave. Exploring the changes of his town. It's quite funny and delightful. There's a good character development in this that made it entertaining. Johnny Depp gives a delightful performance as Barnabas Collins. Eva Green is quite menacing as Angelique. Jackie Earle Haley and Helena Bonham Carter are the extra comic relief. Chloë Moretz is always good at bad girl roles.

There's a lot of fun going on, but in the end, the experience feels like something's missing. It could have been an interesting story but it ends pretty lazy. There are couple of senseless twists that aren't consistent. At least there is something good in the filmmaking. The production design is quite decent and sometimes unlikely colorful. Postmodern music are played often which made Danny Elfman's music score hard to notice. But these merits can't fix the film's storytelling.

Dark Shadows is undeniably entertaining and nothing else. There are things that could have been better. I don't think the colorful groovy look is the problem. It just needs a better ending that gives consistency to the story. People can still give it a try for its camp. There's a true vampire here that is nothing like our modern vampires. Dark Shadows is not bad. It's just unsatisfying. It has the color, life, and all but what's missing is a proper plot development.