Gorgeously Gruesome

Rating: 8/10 (28 December 2007)

Sweeney Todd is gruesome almost beyond belief. Even to the point of being gross. But it worked well with the subject, so I found the grossness effective. I think it is an excellent adaptation of the stage musical, though it does lack a chorus. But the chorus probably would not have worked with Tim Burton's conception of the film anyway. In one way the film is better than the stage production. It is more tightly knit, probably due to the elimination of the chorus.
The cast was outstanding. Depp's portrayal of Todd's transition from a simple desire for vengeance against Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford into an insane desire to kill anyone in the upper classes is marvelous.
If you can stomach the gore(I think it is the most gruesome film I've ever seen), I recommend it highly.