Brilliant dark musical from Burton & Depp

Rating: 8/10 (8 February 2014)

Tim Burton recovered from something of an iffy spell in style with an adaptation of the musical of the same name. Before seeing the film the stylistic choices were rather unusual. Johnny Depp as the haunted Cockney barber, half of the dialogue being sung and using Burton's usual gloomy visuals all seemed strange choices. As a non-musical fan I was also worried that the film might be a bit over-bearing on that front. Thankfully all my worries were dissolved from the beginning as Burton crafts possibly his most satisfying film to date, certainly since his earlier work, thanks to a great number of inspiring features.
The plot sees barber Sweeney Todd return to London after being exiled for a crime he did not commit with intentions of gaining revenge on the Judge who wronged him. Todd sets up his barbers above Mrs. Lovett's pie shop and he begins killing off unsuspecting customers for her to put into pies. After he discovers that the Judge also has custody of his daughter, Todd will stop at nothing to get the Judge into his chair. The story is a really interesting one dealing with themes like revenge and moral corruption in a gripping way. I like how the film flowed well and moved along at a decent pace, but still took the time to develop the characters and let you know the reasons behind their actions. It was extremely engaging because it really made me care about Todd's plight and I was interested in where the story was going to go.
But what about the main piece itself which is the music. I'll go out and say that all the music in the film is absolutely fantastic. There was not one bit of music that I didn't thoroughly enjoy and amazing all of these songs fit into the film perfectly. From the bouncy 'By the Sea' to the beautiful 'Johanna' to the serene 'Pretty Women' to the raw aggression of 'Epiphany', all of these songs where wonderfully composed and the different tones mesh well together in the grand scheme of things. The singing was also really impressive. Johnny Depp hasn't the best voice but for the pure emotion he puts into the songs it is impossible to fault him, while the distinct voices of Rickman and Bonham Carter fit really well.
The acting is also superb, especially when you consider all the things the actors have to do. Johnny Depp does a splendid job of conveying the restrained rage and sadness that encapsulates Todd. Depp's understated turn gives the role added powerful and tinges of emotion that fit very well. He also does a rather good Cockney accent and, as said, his singing voice is quite impressive. Helena Bonham Carter is brilliant as usual as the opportunist Mrs. Lovett. It's a role that would be easy to dislike, but Bonham Carter adds such a down to earth tone and seemingly caring outlook that it always keeps your sympathy. Alan Rickman is simply a joy to watch as the crooked Judge perfectly showing off his seedy nature and Timothy Spall is wonderful as the horribly slimy Beadle, both creating unpleasant villains. Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener were effective, while young Ed Sanders does a great job as Toby and his singing is also rather good. Sasha Baron Cohen is also very convincing in a more serious role.
The visuals truly are striking. Burton brings his melancholy palette wonderfully to the film, giving London a twisted beauty. The shady colours worked really well in creating a contrast to all the blood that the film lays out. Even the flashback scenes and those imaginary ones are beautifully lit which also corresponds the misery of their lives very well. Adding to the look all the other visual aspects are perfectly done. The costumes look very authentic and capture the period well. The make-up is fantastic, especially on Depp. The sets are also superbly designed which gives the film a much more intimate atmosphere than you'd expect. There is just something about the cinematography that really makes the film leap out at you.
The gory parts are rather gruesome, but I don't think the film would have as much impact if they were toned down and it does have an important part to play in telling this story. There is no backing down on that front and at times it does become enjoyably over-the-top without becoming silly. The more humour moments are well placed. There is some really good understated humour especially from Bonham Carter that fits well and Ed Sanders gets a few funny lines as well. The contest between Todd and Pirelli is a lot of fun, while the 'By the Sea' dream sequence is very amusing simply for how cheerful it is against everything else. For me the ending was quite surprising just for how it didn't fall into the usual formula and gave a satisfying but oddly bittersweet conclusion to everything.
Overall I really love Sweeney Todd. It is amazing just how good these songs are, the way they're all composed, sung and fit into the film really is something to be impressed by, I mean they're so good that you can happily listen to them separately. Johnny Depp delivers a powerful lead turn as well as some excellent singing, the rest of the cast are simply brilliant and the visuals are really stunning to behold. The film is effortlessly entertaining, the story on its own makes for a really strong set-up to events. Sweeney Todd certainly had me gripped throughout and showed that when Burton & Depp are on top from then they are very hard to beat.