Tough one; Depp may just save it

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2010)

OK, I've written a few reviews for IMDb but this may just be the toughest one yet. Basically, the plot follows the story of wrongfully convicted Benjamin Barker, returning to London under the assumed name of Sweeney Todd to exact revenge for his conviction. I will leave it at that so as not to give much away because the plot of the movie is definitely worth seeing.
I am a HUGE fan of Depp and while I thought a musical may be stretching things a bit I decided to see what one of my favorite actors has done with the role. I suppose one benefit I had was that I hadn't seen the Broadway production the film is based on so I can thus judge it as it is. I found Depp to be positively chilling. The menace and danger he exudes are obviously necessary to portray Benjamin Barker adequately however only an actor as good as Depp can deliver such traits with a sense of style. Helen Bonham Carter also throws in a good performance as Mrs. Lovett and in fact most of the supporting cast do a good job...apart maybe from Sacha Baron Cohen with whom for some reason I couldn't quite get Borat and Ali G out of my mind whenever he came on screen which, thankfully, was for a short time.
The movie's plot is intriguing and gripping however, as this is a musical the stand out feature should be the music and I'm afraid in this instance it isn't. I may not be the biggest fan of musicals but I have seen and enjoyed a few but I'm afraid the music here just doesn't satisfy. I didn't have much of a problem with the singing; actually I thought that was pretty good, it was the lyrics and the musical choices that I found inadequate. Nonetheless, it is not the best musical but it is far from being a terrible one; it is fair.
The film is very gory especially at the end and at some stage you just think to yourself "enough already!". It is overly gory and the same effect of obsession and menace in Barker/Todd could have been achieved with a lot less blood. The level of gore is about the only definite negative point on this movie.
Depp yet again shines brightest and proves once again why he should be considered one of the best and most versatile actors! His performance for me dragged the movie/musical out of mediocrity but another kudos should go to Burton's wonderful portrayal of Fleet Street and London as dark and sinister with characters to match.
This is turning into a rather lengthy post so I will wrap up now. As I said in the title this is a tough one. From a musical point of view this is average, however, Depp's performance and the plot do elevate this movie slightly and as such, instead of 5/10 I will give it 7. I would recommend this movie unless you have a problem with bloody, graphic scenes though also note not to expect much of the music. See it for the plot and for Depp and Carter's chillingly good performances.
Oh, just one final thought, there are many reviewers here giving this movie 1/10 yet the overall rating is still an impressive and accurate 7.7/10. This should tell you that people who didn't like it are in the small minority. Heck, if Roger Ebert can give this movie 4/4 it is definitely worth a see!