Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” is a Frankenstein’s Monster of a movie – or should that be a Frankenweenie? Like Mary Shelley’s undead creature, Burton’s gothic horror-comedy is constructed from separate bits and bobs dug up from hither and thither and hurriedly stitched together without the slightest care for sightliness or collectivity. The result is indeed a monster: a monster that can stumble and sputter thanks to some buzzing electricity, but it’s dead inside, and as a singular figure it makes little sense, its unsightly stitches and hideous neck-bolts all too apparent and all too telling.
“Dark Shadows” marks the eighth collaboration between celebrated director Burton and Hollywood megastar Johnny Depp, whose long-time professional partnership was sparked in 1990 with the enchanting fairy tale romance “Edward Scissorhands.” We can always expect two things from their projects together: a solid, transformative performance from Depp, and a technical masterclass from Burton. “Dark Shadows” certainly supplies both by the truckload, but supplies little of anything else, leaving one feeling dissatisfied, underwhelmed and yearning for more. (Continue Reading…)
(Five outta Ten)
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