Swing the razor..but It aint that high

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2020)

The adaptation of Soddenheim's dark and tragic musical, Sweeney Todd, is the delightfully depressing story of Benjamin Barker. But, as a fan of the musical, I have to say, tis film is a bit more gruesome then the stage show and I don't know if that's good or bad.
In the stage show, blood is basically a prop, even some productions use different ways to portray it, some of them even using red lighting, this is both practical, since you won't have the actors slipping every way, and it can make it more special when a character does die. But the film does something different, it goes for a full on Evil Dead type of blood, this thing goes everywhere, it's a freaking fountain, with can be good, but turns something that is a theatrical and highly effective Drama, into something a bit more pulpy, though luckily, it does give some good visuals in some of the later scenes of the film.
Like any good Burton film, the gothic streets of London look perfectly decaying and dirty as they should be, it almost reminds me of Burton's Batman, where it was basically a hell on earth, sadly the film doesn't go for many bold colours, limiting it's palette to cold blues and intense oranges and reds, but with the style it uses, it makes the times they use color pop out a bit more.
Johnny Depp is giving probably one of his better interpretations and reminding us why we can't stop looking at him, though the costume is a bit much, he is not far away from the great actors that have portray him on the stage, going for a more animalistic mr Todd, something that Michael Ball would take when he played the character in the revival.
Boham Carter is a more subdued Mrs Lovett, and though she's not bad, she doesn't really compels me as the motherly type, but she really goes for the weak and even scary moments as the film goes on, showing us just how broken she is and how evil she can be.
Finally, the other main player is Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, who is just perfect for this role, maybe not much of a singer, but he can be so hatable and despicable, you really want the moment that he gets the razor in his neck, specially in Pretty Women ,this guy was a perfect villain and it just reminds me how much we lost after Rickman's passing.
The music is amazing, with should be obvious, there's a reason why so many people love the musical, but the interpretations, though iffy, portray a more broken version of the characters, a bit more personable and almost a bit more sad. The original music wasn't grand, but it was theatrical, this version is a lot more calm and subdued, even filmed like if it wasn't a musical. In fact, it's shot more like an actual horror film, and speaking of that.
The tone of this film is just amazing, managing the dark comedic tones with actually terrifying moments, you will both be laughing and crying at some scenes and be completely scared in some others, it's an exhausting film, but it finishes just the right way, with everything going wrong.
If you are a Tim Burton fan like me, watch it, it's one of his best jobs from the 2000's. If you are a fan of the musical, give it a try and try to remember that these are both different medias. And if you love blood baths, give it a watch. It may be a bit too much or a bit too less depending on your opinions, but it's a really good movie, enjoy it, it's a bloody good time....I don't regret that obvious pun.