Quite good, but not in comparison to the stage version.

Rating: 7/10 (26 December 2007)

1 - I can see how if you don't know Sondheim or this show how this film could blow your mind, and then you get to go see the DVD of the Hearn/Lansbury and find out it's even better (they should advertise that DVD). That said I have many quibbles, but one big point: they should have dropped "By The Sea" and included "Kiss Me" because without it A) You only see the lovers as a distraction and nuisance B) You miss out on the character of Johanna. Surprise surprise for people that have seen the movie and not the play, Johanna is an interesting character! Actually, a good production of this show will imply that she is as damaged in her own way as her parents. Cut lyrics: "Are you discussing or fussing/Or simply dreaming?/Are you crowing?/Are you screaming?" Then they show she's a hysteric at another point, and then she kills someone but I won't ruin that. But with the movie treating them as a nuisance and plot device there is a big hole.
2  Cutting the Judge's song was regrettable, but I was more disappointed in Timothy Spall's shallow Mad Hatter take on the Beadle. It really has made me appreciate the recent Broadway revival performance by Alexander Gemignani that much more, he really made that character pop. I've never seen Tobias as a boy before, he's usually an idiot man-child, it was interesting but restrictive.
3  Having Sweeney as a tenor (and a rock tenor at that) created an imbalance, everybody except the Judge had a thin, reedy voice, I felt like I might get a nosebleed. Bonham-Carter's voice especially did not live up to the large orchestrations behind it, the discrepancy during "The Worst Pies in London" was very jarring.
4  By the Sea  yes it was funny, and I especially appreciated the opening image with a Seurat homage in the background, but you already had Pirelli for comic relief and we needed more character for Johanna instead. Also, again, they cut the best lyrics: By the sea, in our nest, we could share our kippers/With the odd payin' guest from the weekend trippers,/Have a nice sunny suite for the guest to rest in,/Now and then, you could do the guest in!
5  I would have liked Depp's accent more if anyone else had the same one.
6  the endingwhy would you choose to go out with a whimper instead of a bang?
7  positive things: The theater was packed, so kudos. The extreme gore that wasn't even a requirement was delightful, I was very impressed that instead of sugar coating it and allowing us to become complicit he instead made their actions more repellent and distanced us from the two of them at every occasion, especially with Sweeney, it was a brave choice. As I said above, these are quibbles, I'm glad they made the movie and that it's a success.