Not surprisingly 'Dark Shadows' sucks

From denofgeek, [excerpt] Throughout, self-awareness abounds, as flights of soap operatics and gothic camp are undercut with desperately awful pop-culture gags and straight-faced rejoinders. Whole scenes hinge on Depp’s aghast expression as he saunters through an assault course of recognisable 70s paraphernalia, from Scooby Doo and Troll dolls to Operation and lava lamps. It is culture-clash comedy at its most crass and least imaginative, full of period tunes yet lacking in bite.

There was a time when Burton specialised in characters who were out of step with the world around them, outsiders who, like Pee-wee Herman, Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood, were both defined and enriched by their unconventional qualities. Barnabas, for all his quirks, strives for a conventional life, hoping to become human and marry Victoria (Bella Heathcote), the Collins family’s governess who may just be the reincarnation of his long lost love, Josette. ‘Family,’ he repeats at opportune moments throughout the film, ‘is the only real wealth’. For those seeking evidence that Burton, the goth auteur, has grown up and left his misfits behind, this may be final filmic nail in his cinematic coffin.

What is perplexing is that, as Burton ages, he doesn’t put away the toys of his younger days. Dark Shadows still plays with genre conventions, kooky Americana and a purple-centric production palette, but the director’s mad, inspired expressionism - his enthusiastic melange of everything from B-movie schlock to Charles Addams - has dissipated. Sure, Dark Shadows looks beautiful, as should be expected from its nine-figure budget, but it is a dull spectacle compared to cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel’s work with Jean-Pierre Jeunet on the likes of Amelie and A Very Long Engagement.

Full review here