I decided to write this after reading another comment

Rating: 9/10 (27 January 2008)

One where someone talked about Tim Burton caving into the Hollywood thing of loads of blood and gore everywhere.
It immediately struck me that this person clearly had no idea of the stage musical. There HAS to be buckets of blood, that's kind of the point. It wasn't unnecessary in the same way the singing wasn't unnecessary, sure, you could have missed it out and still had the bare bones, but it just would not have been Sweeny Todd. I'm sorry this person was offended, or at least perturbed by all the blood, but it's like going to see Saving Private Ryan and complaining about the violence, or Pulp Fiction and the swearing, it's just part of it, and always has been.
Anyway, criticism of an ill thought out review aside, this film is brilliant. It isn't perfect, and there are small quibbles with it, but it's very very good. I was particularly impressed with the singing of all involved, and also the quality of the acting, with Timothy Spall in particular o great form as the creepy and thoroughly unpleasant Beadle Bamford. The direction was dark and slightly brooding, which one expects from Tim Burton, and worked very well with the story.
However, I think the most credit has to go to the source of the genius itself, Sondheim. The man wrote wonderful songs, not catchy, mark you, but brilliant. Dark, comedic, in a number of cases, and wonderfully fitting for the tale that many people insist is true but, alas, is not.
Oh, and Sacha Baron Cohen's suit is...indescribable.
To sum up, a wonderful, comedic and strictly necessary bloodbath, with wonderful songs, sung well, and surrounded by great acting.