Johnny Depp's 'Dark Shadows' Lacks Bite, Say Critics

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's latest collaborative movie, Dark Shadows, has received a mixed response from critics ahead of its release on Friday (May 11, 2012). Depp plays Barnabas Collins, a melancholy vampire who is freed from his tomb after two centuries, only to be dumfounded by modern society.

The movie is based on the much-loved television show of the same name, which entertained audiences in the 1960s and 1970s. Though Depp and Burton have scored some huge successes in recent years - particularly with Alice and Wonderland - the critics appear to be tiring of their collaborations. Justin Chang of Variety magazine said, "Few director-star partnerships are as consistently eccentric or malleable as that of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, but even loyalists will detect an odor of mothballs clinging to their eighth big screen collaboration". Critic Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune was more to the point, venting, "Dark Shadows" illustrates the fine line in a pop reboot between "relaxed" and "lazy". The movie boasts a stellar cast, including Chloe Moretz and Eva Green, and Todd MCCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter spoke of the film's potential, saying, "Dark Shadows sinks its teeth half-way into its potentially meaty material but hesitates to go all the way".

The stars of the film gathered in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere on Wednesday evening, with some fans queuing for a reported 13 hours to catch a glimpse of leafing man Johnny Depp.