Burton is beauty.

He is Hollywood’s quirky, intellectual Michael Bay.

And Dark Shadows is beautiful… and full of fun and mischief… and a great melange of genres and style.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a third act.

Well, not one that works.

As with a number of Burton movies, it feels like he either had too much ambition for his budget or not quite enough.

The reason, I think, that the last 15 minutes of Dark Shadows feels like a punt, is that the key idea put forth needs a lot more room to breathe.

Until then, it’s Depp in a fun character… though his character’s don’t work as well when they are react-ers and not act-ers. And here, even though he is one of the wildest characters, he is The Mary (as in “The Marry Richards”), big time.

I really did enjoy myself watching Dark Shadows. But it’s definitely one of those Tim Burton films where you enjoy beats and don’t get to luxuriate in a great story, however well told.

I am always surprised – and it comes up often – how many times the “big surprises at the end” feel like the beginning of something more interesting and not the natural end of something. It’s like we are in a world of films being developed for sequels, not to maximize the first film.

Still, if you like Burton and Depp and Pfeiffer and Moretz and Eve Green and cool Gothic gags, it’ll be a good summer treat, tasty, though not very memorable.