Another humorously, horrifying film masterfully executed as only Director Tim Burton can.

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2008)

In a shark's feasting frenzy, instincts take over and attack becomes more intense, their prey swiftly turns to a cloud of blood. During this carnal mêlée, the shark is so consumed with death that nothing will draw its attention away from the attack. It continues to kill until the killing is over. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a frenzy of brutal murder fueled by the revenge of a man destined to destroy the lives of those who broke his family into pieces. It is a London-based bloody musical, true to Stephen Sondheim's 1979 musical-theater production, with elements of deception, destruction, bloody throat-slashing and cannibalism that left me thinking, "Sometimes, death wins."
Benjamin Parker (Johnny Depp), once a happily married man with a beautiful loving wife and gorgeous baby girl, was stolen away from his family destine to live the rest of his days in prison, all so Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) could assume his place in the once blissful family. Returning 15 years later under the assumed name Sweeney Todd, Depp seeks his revenge upon Turpin, destroying everything in his path, liked to Quentin Tarantino's main character in Kill Bill who sets out on a mission of cold hearted, bloody revenge and doesn't stop until the blood does. Unbeknownst to Todd, his accomplice Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) is the most deceptive person of them all. As the rage for revenge grows, so does the body count, as Todd becomes increasingly consumed with his passionate hatred for the liars and sinners of London.
Burton's use of high-key lighting and vibrant colors filled the screen during flashbacks of time spent with Benjamin's family, to emphasize happy times and a sense of blissful peace  only for the film to transform into dramatically low-key lighting, setting the stage for the death and destruction Sweeney Todd wreaks upon the city.
The roles of Sweeney Todd and Nellie Lovett could not have been so magnificently executed by any other actors. Although they are not trained singers, the two pull it off with uncanny ability. Depp and Carter have a history of portraying dark vengeful, mysterious characters in such films as Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward Scissors Hands and Fight Club, to name a few. In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Todd and Lovett compliment each other in personality and appearance with their hatred for humanity and desire to condemn those who clutter London with lies and deceit. Todd and Lovett's appearances emphasize the dark, vengeful tone of the film with their pail skin, heavily contrasted by dark eye makeup  emphasizing the hatred in their eyes toward London  massive, curly, black hair  emphasizing their incomprehensible state of mind  and drab clothing  Lovett wearing hints of scarlet, foreshadowing the deepest evils within her.
Their presences sent chills up my back, with the look of vengeance in their eyes and shown on their saddened faces. Adapted from Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller, Burton's directing style of humorous brutality makes this a masterpiece of revenge any Tim Burton fan will admire  especially those with a gory appetite in films.