Sweeney Todd: Sweeney Blood

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2008)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street/2007/***
Main Stars: Sweeney Todd: Johnny Depp Mrs. Lovett: Helena Bonham Carter Judge Turpin: Alan Rickman
Tim Burton calls it The Sound of Music with blood. Indeed it is. Lots and lots of blood. However, it wasn't the color of real blood: dark, cherry red. It instead had a much brighter red color and it was of thinner volume.
I've never been a fan of sadistic violence. There's absolutely no point to it. But I decided to go and see it and I saw graphic, bloody violence. And it will be that way and there's no turning back. I do not recommend this film to anyone who has that same thought. It is and is supposed to be disturbing and dark. What do you expect from director Tim Burton? He is dark-minded and apparently likes to show sadistic violence to a certain longer extent.
There was one reason why I wanted to see this film. I like Tim Burton. His films are very entertaining and this was entertaining. But I have to admit I hate pointless violence or any violence for that matter because I see it as evil, sadistic and highly immoral. Excuse all the bloodthirsty, sadistic people out there that like to see this type of stuff. Go ahead and see it.
So why did I recommend this film? I found the music, the directing, acting and even some of the macabre humor to be entertaining. Johnny Depp is very versatile and played his part to perfection and so did all the other actors. The acting could have not been better. The entire picture is very impressive, so one should expect from a bloody big budget film like this.
It is a marginal recommendation. The film is dark, evil, and disturbing. It's ghastly. But it is meant to be that way. This is based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim and based on the play by Christopher Bond. Who knows? Maybe Sweeney Todd was a real demon barber and he slit people's throats, had the people grinded, put into meat pies, had people eat them at Lovett's (Carter's) restaurant then have the people that just ate the people come up, get a shave and a haircut (HA) and get recycled.
Doesn't the story sound lovely? Lovely and bloody? Yes. It would actually come across to me as not surprising if I found out Benjamin Barker (changed name to Sweeney Todd when he wanted revenge) was a real person. If this whole thing was made up, then Christopher Bond is one messed up fellow or just highly original.
But hey, there are insane people in the world like Benjamin Barker. But he was sane until he was separated from his love and child by the person (Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman)) he desperately loathed. Was he satisfied? In a way, yes.
If this story was made up then I will say to Christopher Bond that it is highly original. I have never seen anything like it before. If it is real, however, then I will say that God have mercy on Benjamin Barker's soul, who was obviously an insane man clouded from logic thoughts by his vengeful attitude because he loved his wife and child so much and hated Turpin to death.
Johanna (Todd's daughter) was held captive by Turpin and Todd's friend and comrade who came across to London with him loved her. But Turpin held her as his prisoner which made Todd madder at him and, well, proved that he didn't care who he slit. DEMON!
The film is a melancholy tragedy. It is disturbing, dark and sad. I felt a slight pity for all the people that were slit. Because, again, this could all have really happened. It's a horrifying thought really but so is the world.
So if you're expecting a happy musical with jolly moments, happy conflicts, climaxes, and resolutions, then you're on a fool's mission. This film is deep and dark and thrilling and musical at the same time. It is produced well with the Tim Burton style to it.
That's what I saw it for. Tim Burton has an ingenious visual talent, symbolic, and, in this, dark and evil.
I hate violence. I like movies. It evens out to a positive rating. Movies overthrow the violence because movies are escapisms and violence is life. Life is unfair. Violence is unfair. Movies are a different form of life. Something you can soak yourself into for two hours or three and walk out with either a happy, or sad, or angry, or nauseous, or scared, or neutral feeling. I think I felt all those. I like movies. This is a movie. I try not to look at it as a real thing but sometimes you do. And even Sweeney Todd can't stop me there.
Movie directed by Tim Burton.