"It's man devouring man, my dear..."

Rating: 7/10 (4 April 2018)

The movie comes with a graphic violence warning, so don't be surprised by the buckets of blood it produces over the course of the story. Johnny Depp portrays a barber-ian throat slasher in what's nominally a musical, a fact I wasn't aware of until I started watching it. Depp and Helena Bonham Carter make a perfectly gruesome couple that gets along exceedingly well until, you know, Mrs. Lovett has to fess up to being not quite truthful about the former Mrs. Benjamin Barker. When Sweeney Todd is described as the 'last word in barbering', his customers have no idea how true that is. And if you happen to survive your time in the chair, that last bump on the noggin is designed to take you out completely. Which is why Judge Turpin's (Alan Rickman) turn at getting the shaft seemed a bit incredible since he momentarily survived both experiences. This is not the kind of film everyone can enjoy because let's face it, murder and mayhem are not the best source of ingredients for your standard meat pie, but if you can handle Mrs. Lovett's secret recipe, you'll also take delight in her distinctive menu of pop tarts.