It's the STORY that gets you!

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2008)

Oh Wow! When I first saw the trailers for Sweeney Todd, I had mixed feelings. I am a Depp fan, and although I have liked everything I've seen him in, I have avoided some of his movies for various reasons. I'm not necessarily a Tim Burton fan, but have enjoyed some of his work as well.
This movie drew me in a different way. I felt almost as if I HAD to see it, even though I didn't want to expose myself to the blood and gore that everyone was talking about. I went to the movie with only a skeletal knowledge of the storyline.
As I watched, the story and the characters really entranced me. I was surprised to look at my watch and see that 2/3 of the movie had passed with only 1 murder - and it wasn't nearly as bloody as I expected. That changed when Barker's chair became an assembly line for slit throats - with all the accompanying blood.
It's a very compelling story, Depp & Carter play their roles well. And Burton does a great job using Bower (as Anthony Hope) as the perfect counterpoint to the rest of what goes on in the movie.
My only complaint was a certain difficulty in understanding all of the lyrics of the songs given the dramatic music and the cockney accents used by the main characters. I guess I'll just have to watch it again and listen more carefully!