Burton adapts soap opera ‘Dark Shadows’ into plotless movie

It’s not very often that a soap opera… “Dark Shadows”

Directed by: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Chloë Grace Moretz, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter

Grade: C+

It’s not very often that a soap opera gets made into a major motion picture, and perhaps that’s for a good reason.

Tim Burton’s adaptation of the late-’60s soap opera “Dark Shadows” relies upon many of the same plot inconsistencies and confusing elements that usually compose only trashy, mid-afternoon television series.

The film stars Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, a wealthy heir to a fishing company in Maine whose family fortune is cursed by one of Barnabas’ mistresses. As a result of the curse, Barnabas is transformed into a vampire and locked away for two centuries before he is discovered by a group of construction workers in 1972 — making for a huge change in scene from his death in the 1700s.

Once unearthed, Barnabas makes it a point to restore his family’s honor and prominence in the community. The present-day Collins family soon discovers that its strange, distant relative is a vampire.

Similar to many soap opera dramas, “Dark Shadows” features a complex, century-old love triangle that helps to complicate the film’s plot. But rather than enhance the storyline, the added complications of its romantic component only cause “Dark Shadows” to lose some considerable plot depth.

Like a lot of Burton’s recent work, “Dark Shadows” nearly makes up for what it lacks in substance with stunningly vivid visual effects. The characters all have a dark, Halloweenesque glow that fits the movie’s atmosphere perfectly.

As a frequent Burton collaborator, Depp does what he does in every quirky Burton film, and does a good job at it. He transforms into Barnabas, who expectedly fits the style of role that Depp has played in past films. As annoying as it is to be pummeled continuously by the same character, Depp has perfected the role of the strange, unearthly misfit.

The film’s other actors all put in stellar performances in hopes of saving the woefully hole-ridden plot. The 15-year-old Carolyn Stoddard, played by Chloë Moretz, contributes a number of hilarious ’70s-teen-angst moments, including an interesting performance with Alice Cooper.

The film lacks any sort of coherent plot, and events happen without much explanation. The predominance of the unexpected bordering on the random might be fit for a soap opera, but for a movie the content proves seriously lacking. The source material of “Dark Shadows” lost a good bit of its satisfying quality on its way to the big screen.