good adaptation, but a little stagey

Rating: 6/10 (22 December 2007)

Tim Burton and his collaborators did a fine job translating the essence of the Stephen Sondheim's stage musical to the big screen. The grim story and haunting music seem tailormade for Burton, and the casting was dead-on, from Johnny Depp as the revenge-bent barber, to the trio of young unknowns in the supporting cast.
My main gripe is that the adaption doesn't really advance visually from the stage production. As in the play, there are only a couple of sets, but given the drab color palette, relatively ordinary shot compositions, and somewhat banal character design (Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter are made up like stereotypical Burton goths), the aesthetics never truly transcend their stage roots. The adaption succeeds because the source material is rendered faithfully and skillfully, but as a movie it still feels a bit like a filmed play. With a more expansive set design, and perhaps a few inspired twists and innovations with the characters and musical arrangements, the movie could have taken the play to a more cinematically expressive level. Nonetheless, it works as an effective (and bloodier) version of the play, while exposing a new generation of fans to Sondheim's eerie and clever songs.