2 gibbles out of 5

Things are dark. And shadowy.

Director: Tim Burton

I didn’t unenjoy Dark Shadows.  In fact, despite the misleadingly actiony jokey trailers, the swooning beginning of the film is some of Burton’s most grounded and stirring work, combining his trademark visual control with a lack of the whimsy that makes most Burton flicks enjoyable as Burton flicks and not much else.  It moves through a large chunk of story via visual montage and Depp’s overdub, both sets and vocals feeling full of life and not just an act.  In it we are introduced to Barnabas – Depp – and his unfortunate fling with a maid (Eva Green) who turns out to be a witch, taking revenge upon Barnabas for his eventual rejection by cursing him to vampirism.  Overwrought and soap opera for sure, but I’m told the original show had a flair for such dramatics so plot and presentation were fitting.

This occurs in the 1700s.  Some movie machinations allow Depp to awaken in the 1960s.  He slakes his blood thirst on some nearby film extras, makes a few remarks, and then hits us with a fish-out-of-water I’m-from-the-past joke.  Which we are expecting, and it elicits some chuckles, but the blend here is already off, the tone set by our whirling intro muted by the mundane antics.  From here on out, while we get a well cast group of principles who, for all intents and purposes, make for interesting characters, nothing on the screen really sings.  Barnabas’ lineage has fallen to ruin and his desire to bring it back to its once high-held standing is legitimate, played straight, and played mostly fair.  While the implication is that Depp uses some vampire charm to get his way, which we are shown here and there, it never feels too evil and success doesn’t seem to come too easily.  In the distance we see some Burtonisms, but whether out of dedication to the show’s atmosphere or a purposeful attempt to distance himself from the material (or both, or whatever), the film proceeds much like a normal film, both in look and plotting.

Now admittedly, I’m not a huge Burton fan primarily because his “important” works seem behind him in favor of redoing his faves with updated visual bravado, making a lot of his work, to me, feel empty.  So I didn’t mind the distance employed in Dark Shadows’ direction.  In fact, it seemed to allow the movie to feel more concrete than his recent works to me.  But, having seen it with a Burton supporter, those expecting his look in the movie will more than likely feel disappointed, similarly with the mostly serious tone (though I can see the droll humor coming out much more effectively during repeated views).

Dark Shadows plays like a less clever older brother, thematically, to Edward Scissorhands.  You can feel Burton reconnecting with something in select moments of the movie, especially the intro, but the lack of definition to what follows drags the film down into industry-line fare, well made and well acted but not much more than a temporary distraction.