Cannibalism, murder, burning women alive, betrayal & gallons of blood

Rating: 1/10 (16 March 2008)

This is a musical for the insane. Not for the funny crazy ones but the truly psychotic madmen you never want to meet in your personal life. Tim Burton definitely has lost it. I was deeply disappointed by how low the maker of brilliant films like Beetlejuice or Ed Wood has sunk.
I have to admit that I write this review because I am enraged about the careless morals of the film. There are parts in this movie where Johnny Depp cuts throats in a cascade for several minutes and kills innocent people just because he is in a bad state of mind. A great number of bodies drop on the floor of the cellar and you see their heads crack open and the blood splashes all over the place in different ways. All over again. Just to see how cool it looks.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against graphic violence in movies. Sometimes they can be powerful elements that are essential to the plot (like the killing of those two guards in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS to show us that Lecter is truly evil for example). But with Sweeney Todd (what a cuddly name, they also could have named him Humpty, Dodo or Fluffy) it's different: the gory mayhem is meant to be part of the entertainment value of the movie.
In connection to this they sing a lot of unmemorable songs in friendly and harmless ways as if everything was OK. Highly disturbing. And I mean not amusingly disturbing like Dennis Hopper in BLUE VELVET but disturbing in a way that forces you to shake your head and makes you think things like "How can someone be nominated for such a role at the Oscars? If movies reflect society, in what kind of world are we living in?"
Sweeney Todd is full of clichés and unnecessary gory violence. Johnny Depp once said in an interview that he also wants to make movies for his kids to see. SWEENEY does not fall in that category. I'd rather say that he should be ashamed of himself and one day he will be. Burton, too. If he's an intelligent man, he will realize what a turd he has produced.
As you can see I am totally opposed and truly don't like this film. Therefore I will spoil the ending with great pleasure to illustrate the ill nature of SWEENEY TODD:
Showdown at the cellar of blood: Sweeney realizes that the beggar woman - who has been slain a couple of minutes before - is his beloved ex-wife who once was separated from him by Judge Turpin (slashed too by Mr. Todd). He looks at Bonham Carter and says "You knew it, why didn't you tell me?" "Because I love you and I want you to stay with me." she answers. Sweeney tosses her into the oven and she dies under horrible screaming. After that realistic slaughter Sweeney holds his ex-wife in his arms, caresses her face softly and thinks "Oh my, what have I done!". Meanwhile Toby, a child who has been beaten constantly by his former employer (Mr Pirelli) sneaks up from behind. Mr. Todd raises his head, looks in the air and we all know what is going to happen: Yes, a 13-year old (or so) child cuts Sweeney Todds throat open. Ice-cold like a contract killer without a whimper. Streams of blood run down Todds body and onto the face of his ex-wife. They both die in a pool of blood. Fade out...
This movie is a sick joke. And studio execs will laugh their butts off. At our costs. This is Hollywood of today.