A brilliant mix of dark humour, haunting visuals, and great music make for one of Tim's best films!

Rating: 10/10 (29 February 2008)

When I heard that Tim Burton was doing Sweeney Todd, to be honest, I had low expectations. I had no interest in the play, at the time I thought it was nothing more than a story about a couple of killers, a baker and a barber. I had no idea that it was so much more complex, and I am very glad a good friend of mine drug me too it.
Yes, there is lots of butchery in this film, but it all goes with reason. The music is excellent, a dark orchestra fills the background with an almost menacing overture in certain parts, and although many of the songs repeat themselves, they find ways to stay fresh or catchy.
There is a good dose of horror and black comedy in Sweeney; for example, the ending shot alone will haunt you for a good while, while some numbers, such as Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney's conversation when she figures out how to make good meat pies, will have you rolling. Even if black humour isn't your taste, you might find something to laugh at in this scene or the odd 'By the sea' number which almost blinds you with it's brightness and cheeriness compared to the dark visuals of the rest of the film.
There are only a couple downsides I can think of, and they come in the form of some of the performances.
For one, Alan Rickman has a hard time hitting notes. He has a fine voice, but it goes off tune sometimes.
Other's include the character of the 'Beadle,' who thankfully only has one singing number, but you will want to claw your ears off when he does so.
There isn't really anything wrong with the people playing Johanna or Anthony, they sing fine, but they sometimes seem to be a little bland when they aren't singing.
On the other hand, the rest of the cast turns out wonderful performances, one notable side attraction is Sacha Baron Cohen, who does an absolutely hysterical portrayal of an Italian barber who runs scams on people.
It's a wonderful film, from beginning to end, it looks amazing, sounds amazing, and it lives up to the style with great performances and brilliant direction. What more could you ask for?