A macabre musical melodrama

Rating: 8/10 (2 December 2010)

Being a fan of Tim Burton's films I wanted to watch this despite not being a huge fan of musicals and having a phobia about cut throat razors. I'm glad I did, as it was an enjoyable film even if I did have to look away from the screen a few times. Johnny Depp plays Sweeny Todd, a barber who has returned to London after fifteen years of penal servitude. The only crime he had committed was to fall in love and be loved by a lady who was fancied by the local judge. He soon learns that his beloved took poison and his daughter is now the ward of the judge. Heading back to his old shop he finds the downstairs premises is now Mrs Lovett's Pie Shop. This woman, played by Helena Bonham-Carter boasts that her pies are the worst in London! He is determined that he will have his revenge on those people who have wronged him, but first he must get back to work as a barber. He is soon confronted by a former employee who recognises him and threatens to report him to the authorities for returning to England. Having killed this man Mrs Lovett comes up with the ideal way to dispose of the bodyÂ… her pies will no longer be the worst in London; she will need a regular supply of meat though!
This film was a lot of fun and rather dark, as one would expect from Tim Burton; it was also quite gruesome with buckets of blood being spilt. While the singing wasn't great and the songs weren't exactly what one will find oneself humming they weren't bad; the acting was good, as one would expect from this cast. As well as Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall were great; they played the judge and his odious beadleÂ… characters that made the murderous barber and the pie-maker seem positively saintly. The London of 'Sweeny Todd' never feels quite real; it looks more like the set you'd find in films made forty or fifty years ago, this combined with the singing gave it an unreal almost theatrical feel which I think added to my enjoyment.
Over all if you are an adult fan of Tim Burton or any of the stars this is a must see; it is not however suitable for children; it may be a musical but it has an '18' certificate for a reason!