Dark Shadows Disappointment

So for those who aren't keenly aware of what went on in the 60's and 70's outside of Star Wars, once upon a time there was a cheesy little soap opera called Dark Shadows. The whole thing was unique for it's time because it dealt with problems like ghosts, zombies, witches and vampires. It was like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a more serious tone, coupled with the cheesiness of 60s to 70s acting and set design. It's a fun little cult classic that's worth a gander if your into that sort of thing.

Now come back to 2012, where no intellectual property is sacred and any old franchise can be hauled out of it's tomb and squeezed for whatever money can yet be made off it, and we can see Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's latest trailer for Dark Shadows the movie. We've been getting hints that they were doing it since last year, with Depp playing the infamous vampire Barnabas Collins (Let's just get this out of the way: Bla bla bla Twilight reference bla bla bla). The issue here though is that the trailer looks like a cross between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Austin Powers. Whatever seriousness that the franchise had has been forcibly removed like an 1820's dentist/blacksmith on a molar. To make things worse the trailer features a drawn out supernatural sex scene in a garish 70's apartment. Depp seems to have settled into his usual Burton role, which is basically the same role except with different lines.
Now don't get me wrong, I love Burton/Depp movies, but they often feel like I'm just watching the same movie. Over-the-top characters and scenery with little to no connectivity to whatever his subject matter is, it feels like I'm watching alternate realities of the same people. Maybe I wouldn't mind this so much if I wasn't already familiar with Dark Shadow's source material, but between this and that abomination calling itself a Stooges movie coming out soon, I don't have much hope for this year's comedies.

-JOE