Yo! Fans of the Broadway Production! Get over it! Chill! Join the throng!

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2008)

I am really disappointed by many of the comments by those who are devoted fans of the original Broadway production. Many of them seem to have lost all their aesthetic sense to a blind and cherished devotion to what they hold in their minds as the holy icon of the Sondheim/Wheeler version of the story. Some of the most atrocious opinions have been leveled against this film version, pig-headedly refusing to recognize the effort for what it is: simply the latest permutation of a classic urban legend that has gone through numerous and varied revisions since it first became a popular tale in the first half of the 19th Century. This is undeniably an unapologetically personal vision of the tale, as seen through the eyes of Tim Burton; and what else would you expect? In accord with this fact, it has been rightly recognized widely, across all demographic categories, as the monumental artistic achievement that it is.
Some of you complain about the singing. I am a musician and a singer, and can find nothing wrong with the technical abilities of any of the cast members. The intonations and phrasing of even some very difficult lines are all there and full of dramatic effect for any who aren't merely blinded by their hurt feelings of violated expectations. Just because Depp is a tenor instead of baritone or bass doesn't mean he can't sing. Broadway has a long history of making dramatic use of all styles of voices, from Ethel Merman to Nathan Lane; surely Depp's vocal styling is in no wise beneath any of those. In fact, he very much reminds me of Tony Newly in many ways. The rest of the cast are what they are, they all cover their parts with more than adequate technique to highly original and dramatically expressive effect.
Others complain about the brevity. I have it on good authority that many selections will be included on the DVD edition of the film for those who miss their favorite numbers. But regardless of this, the fact is that the theatrical version of this film works in telling the story to it's full effect. You must remember that Christopher Bond was the first to give Sweeney a motive other than pure greed for money, and this is likewise the main thrust of the Wheeler adaptation for the musical. This film version poignantly communicates this motivation to full effect, without many of the darling scenes that were cut out. So what's the problem? Hearn/Lansbury, as many of you point out, is now on DVD. If you want to hear all the selections, buy it! Or wait to see what is included in the DVD version of this film. But the fact remains that this version works to great effect, regardless of what was cut.
Others, rather inexplicably, I think, complain about the darkness and the lack of humor. Hello! We're talking about the story of a madman who killed people in his barber shop and then had his lover make pies out of their remains to sell for the general public's consumption, for crying out loud! If that doesn't give a filmmaker license to be as dark as he likes, I don't know what does! As far as the humor goes, I personally laughed throughout at the superb dark comedy and irony in almost every scene of this film. The timing of the humor was impeccable, as one would expect from a master of the genre such as Burton.
In summary: Get over it, people! This is not your father's Sweeney Todd! Nor should it be.