Very disappointing (if you compare it to the stage version)

Rating: 4/10 (13 December 2007)

As one of my favorite musicals, I was looking forward to finally seeing ST on the big screen. Maybe my expectations were too high, but the movie fell flat for me. The music and direction were top-notch, but in the end it all falls on the title character -- in essence, Johnny Depp is no Sweeney Todd. With not much of a singing voice (he song-spoke many of his numbers), I kept thinking he was Jack Sparrow as a barber. Not much range for the man, I'm afraid.
Of course, the biggest abonimation is the omission of the title track for the show!!! Yes... the song "Tale of Sweeney Todd" is not in "Sweeney Todd"! How would you like to see "The Sound of Music" without the title track??? Ugh!!!
I'd be interested in hearing from "first-time viewers" of the story, but as for a self-avowed ST fan, I found the film version very disappointing.