A wonderful adaptation of a very bizarre play.

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2007)

Who better to direct a musical about a barber who slits his patient's throats than Tim Burton? Who better to star as the lead role than Johnny Depp? Actually, quite a few people could have done better in the singing department for Depp's title role, but he still gave a marvelous performance otherwise. The movie was all around really great.
Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) was a happy man with a wife and daughter. Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) takes his family away for his own. Benjamin returns 15 years later under his new name Sweeney Todd, and he wants revenge on those who wronged him. He meets Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who runs a failing meat pie shop and he opens a barbershop up right above her. Violence, murder, cannibalism and catchy tunes ensue. The acting was good, but the real standout was Helena Bonham Carter who managed to play a murderous character who still managed to be sympathetic. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a small, hilarious over the top the role, and was a great addition to the cast. I had heard that Johnny Depp talk sings all his songs, but that is not true. Even if he isn't the best singer out there, he does actually sing several songs. The music is strange, but catchy, and it fits well with the tone of the movie. As a musical, there are better ones out there, not to say this isn't a good musical. One positive to the film, was the smooth transitions from comedy to drama and violence. The London town looks great, and the dark sepia-toned colors didn't get annoying, and I thought they would.
Overall, I think Sweeney Todd is a bizarre musical, but it made for a great movie that I'd see many more times.
My rating: *** 1/2 out of ****. 120 mins. R for violence.