Visually handsome, cringe-worthy singing

Rating: 3/10 (20 January 2008)

Take one musical with complex, non-rhyming lyrics, add two dramatic leads with voices fit only for a choir, and what you get is a visually handsome movie without entertainment value. Depp has the fierceness and snarl of a man hell-bent on bloody revenge down pat, and Rickman carries off the part of a covetous, imperious, manipulative tyrant with his usual aplomb. The only off-key performance was Carter, whose lack of energy is noticeable alongside even minor characters. The only truly affecting scene she has is with the street urchin, Toby, whom she's taken in to work in the shop. He sings beautifully of his fidelity to her and his wish to protect her from Todd, which makes her realize, with horror and sadness, that she will have to kill the boy to keep her and Todd's secrets.
And while nobody really sings off key, none of the marquee names sings any better than to carry a tune. Since this is a musical, that's quite a serious flaw, made more obvious by the singing talent of each of the minor characters. Plus, Depp is a tenor, and the role originally called for a bass-baritone, the better to convey Todd's sinister and insane mind.
If there's ever a traveling production of Sweeney Todd, I intend to see it to find what was lacking in the film.