Film review: Dark Shadows (3 out of 5 stars)

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(12A) 113mins

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green

WE ALL know that any project involving Tim Burton will have an element of weirdness - it will also probably have Johnny Depp and Burton’s long-time partner Helena Bonham-Carter on board.

Dark Shadows, based on the US TV series from the mid 1960s, certainly doesn’t buck the trend.

The film has seen some strong criticism and while it’s not Oscar-winning material it provides an enjoyable enough couple of hours of family fun.

The biggest problem with the movie is that it tries to incorporate several elements - a gory horror movie, a comedy, a romance, a gothic tale.

For me, it just about brought these threads together, but I can see why other people have got frustrated.

Depp plays Englishman Barnabas Collins, whose family set up a successful fishing company in the 1700s after sailing to the US.