Shocking

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2008)

When I saw the original poster of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, before I knew it was Johnny Depp or Tim Burton, I thought to myself, "I have no idea what it is but, hey, it looks interesting." Finally I saw a trailer and I realized that it was Johnny Depp as a murderous barber and then I thought to myself, "Wow, freaky. But still interesting" and then Depp opened his mouth and started singing whilst wielding a sharp razor...my friend and I immediately busted out laughing in the theatre.
Now don't get me wrong, I like musicals, I thoroughly enjoy them. Nonetheless, that was a shock I didn't expect. I can't say that I anticipated this movie more than I anticipated say...Lord of the Rings perhaps, but I was definitely excited to see how this movie did.
As far is acting is concerned I expected a lot from Johnny Depp (there's no reason why I shouldn't) and for the most part, he met my expectations. I hear people constantly talking about how Helena Bonham Carter deserves an Oscar for her performance in this movie but I fail to see it. The movie is a dark and gray and her face is gray, and her voice is monotone through and through. So except for ONE sequence whenever she was on screen she sort of blended in with the environment and I faded out.
Music is obviously a big factor in musicals and while the music in Sweeney Todd wasn't necessarily bad, it wasn't very strong and that's big hit in a musical. Johnny Depp talk-sings through most of the movie; fans of the original on-stage musical disliked that because the original man who played Sweeney had a very operatic voice, but I liked it I personally thought it fit the character. There's a young boy in the movie, I forget his name, but he amazed me! When he started singing I was so shocked, I didn't know a little boy that size could possibly have vocal cords that strong. Also, the song between Sweeney and the Judge "Pretty Women" is one of my favorites and I thought it was well done. But save that one song, no songs TRULY excited me, rang in my head, or really stuck out.
Cinematography and directing was astounding as expected with Tim Burton. The dark tones and splashes of red have been used before but he pulled it off with flair. There's a song in this movie and during that sequence the cinematography changes to dreamy scenery with very bright colors that contrast with Depp's and Carter's pale Halloween-like faces. It's possibly my favorite part of the whole movie, that entire sequence is fantastic!
You can bet on seeing a bloody movie when you see this film. Bloody is actually an understatement, try the bloodiest movie I've ever seen. It's filled with sliced necks, crushing skulls, and grinding bodies and it's honestly nauseating. Some say that it's just necessary for the movie, and while they're mostly right I still believe certain things were unnecessary and could have been toned down.
One redeeming quality is the theme of the movie which is actually the main theme of the original musical which Tim Burton kept perfectly intact. That theme is: revenge is evil and it will consume and destroy everything including yourself. Still...after seeing the movie there were a couple scenes that I could have definitely been just fine without seeing entirely! Tim Burton and Johnny Depp actually made a mistake in my opinion, they made Sweeney Todd way too "attractive". His slicing executions eventually became so stylized, so choreographed, and so graceful that you almost anticipate his next killing RATHER than trying to yell out, "Stop the madness!" which is the whole point of the story.
The movie is entertaining, enticing, thought provoking, and well made but there is still one problem. The ending left me feeling hollow (much like the characters themselves). I won't tell you the ending, but I'll tell you this: when I walk out of a movie I want to feel entertained...not drained. But then again, maybe that's what Burton intended.