The sum is less than its parts

Rating: 4/10 (22 December 2007)

I still can't figure out why this movie didn't strike a chord with me (sorry, horrid pun). I'm not much of a musicals fan, so maybe it's me, not the movie. Tim Burton's direction was spot on and he captured (or imagined) mid-19th century London perfectly. Depp is a great singer and the role was almost written for him. Helena Bonham Carter was fine (but not as good as Depp). Sasha Baron Cohen absolutely stole the two scenes he was in and he can sing pretty well, too. Scenery/decoration/technicals were all amazing.
So, where did it go wrong? That's a very good question. The music wasn't very good. But that shouldn't have been enough to detract from the movie.
Beware, this movie has lots of gore, so if you're the squeamish type, don't see this movie.