Average User Rating: 80% (80 Reviews)
5 / 5	The Burton Depp combo does it again! Vittani (Castleford, UK) - 2 February 2008 Like many others this film first peaked my interest because it was a Tim Burton movie. Usually I hate horror films and dislike anything along those lines, mostly because they're too realistic and make me feel uneasy. So a film about a barber that slits peoples throats should be a complete turn off for me. But having said that every film of Tim Burton's that i have seen, I have loved. From his recent forays into stop animation and his classics such as Edward Scissor Hands. So knowing this to be a Tim Burton film I had no doubt that I would like it. But I didnt just like it. I loved it! I was singing the songs before the film even came out, so I had to stop myself from singing in the cinema and ruining everyones viewing. I think when people think of musicals they think of over the top music and choreographed dancing. A lot of musicals do have that. But Sweeney Todd is different. The singing is understated and blends perfectly with the film. It views like real life, you know how some people will start singing under no matter where they are. It's like that, completely natural. And since the actors/actresses that were given the roles aren't trained singers it gives the songs a relatable quality lacking in most musicals. It isn't like Phantom of the Opera where you've got to hit a high note to join in. You can be the worst singer in the world and not have a trouble singing along. Because of this theres an added innocense and sweetness to some of the scenes. Giving the actors more depth than the lines alone could accomplish. The characters of Sweeney (Depp), Mrs Lovett (Carter)and Judge Turpin (Rickman) are good examples of this. Sweeney Todd is a man consumed by rage and vengeance. The tasks he's set himself leaving little room in his mind for humanity. But through his singing we see a part of the man he was before the tragic events of fifteen years ago. We see a man who loves his wife and child. But as the movie progresses, its almost like he loses touch with this remaining humanity and focuses on his dark side. So much so that the safety of his daughter seems to matter little next to him accomplishing his purpose. In Mrs Lovett we see a woman who still harbours feelings for a certain barber and who tries her best to let him know and change his course of action. She attempts to lure him away from his path by hinting at marriage and life elsewhere. Yet she is the one who first suggests the idea of disposing of Todd's victims in her pies. Despite her earlier thoughts of someone using cats in their pies disturbing. Carter really shines in this role. The villain of the film is the incomparable Alan Rickman. He plays Judge Turpin, the recipient of Todd's hate and bloody urges. Despite his cruel nature he displays an innocence and vulnerability that is quite refreshing amongst all the stereotypical single layered 'bad guys' whose only motivation is seemingly death and destruction. As with all Burton movies the film has a dark, seductive back drop. The scenery is perfect for the time it portrays, dark, gritty and decadent. The differing aspects between the classes is handled beautifully, all these points combine to make you think that you really have stepped into Victorian London. So as a final note, if you like gore and death in your movies you'll love this film. If you like musicals you'll love it. And if you think Tim Burton is a director who can do no wrong you'll certainly love this. If you answered no to one of the three points above you might have a problem. It all depends on what you like. Either way I know I love this and I'll be watching it as many times as I can. Lol, I've already got the CD on order. ... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	Depp and Burton = Excellent!! Michael Evans "Emily" (Shropshire) - 5 February 2008 I couldnt fault this film at all! I loved it from start to finish! I feel that both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp did the film and themselves justice. I also felt that Helena Bonham Carters performance was first class, and she really showed a different side to her many talents! Johnnys singing, i was wary of it when he began becasue id never heard him before! Buy my did he deliver?! He was fab!! Watch it!!!!
5 / 5	The years have changed him E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - 23 February 2008 Murder. Cannibalism. Death. Obsession. Revenge. Blood. Goth makeup. And lots of razors -- "at last, my arm is complete again!" Sweeney Todd exults. Somehow it doesn't come as a shock to me that Tim Burton adapted Stephen Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" -- or that he somehow spun it into something so delicious. That dark, grotesque, hilariously melodramatic story is perfectly suited to Burton's style, and Johnny Depp is absolutely stunning as the titular bloody barber. The malignant Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) lusts after the wife of Benjamin Barker (Depp), so he convicts Barker of a crime he didn't commit, and enfolds his family into his evil hands. But fifteen years later, the Barker returns to London and sets up a barber shop over Mrs. Lovett's ghastly meat pie store. Of course, he's enraged when he learns that his wife was raped and since poisoned herself, and that his daughter is the ward of the lecherous Judge. Enraged and maddened, Barker renames himself "Sweeney Todd" and vows revenge. And he finds that he LOVES using his razors for a far bloodier task than shaving. With the help of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) -- who finds a thrifty use for those bodies -- Todd cuts a bloody swathe through all who have wronged him. And when his daughter is punished for refusing to marry the cruel Judge, Sweeney closes in to get his revenge at last. There's always been a gothic look to Burton's movies, and he's always dabbled in very twisted, macabre storylines. And he really tops himself with "Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" -- London is painted in black, white and grey, right down to the ghoulish faces of the characters, and their bleak little dens of horror. And songs -- lots of magnificently horrible songs. But Burton pretty obviously adores the combination of gory grotesquerie and very, very sick humour ("They don't commit sins of the flesh, so it's pretty fresh"). And he doesn't try to make Sweeney or Mrs. Lovett palatable, thankfully. While we sympathize with Sweeney's losses, and the horrors that have changed him into the Demon Barber, you just can't pass over scenes where they sing, "It's man devouring man, my dear!" "Then who are we to deny it in here?" There are some moments that relieve this gory gothic parade -- there's a sweet love story between Sweeney's daughter and a young sailor. And the plot becomes progressively darker toward the end (yes, it CAN get worse), when the plot throws us some shocking new twists, resulting in a Grecian-tragedy finale soaked in even more gore. Oh yes, there's blood. Tons of it. It spurts like Monty Python's bloodier sketches, which ends up being more hilarious than yucky -- as is the casual introduction of cannibal meat pies. And there are some spectacularly gross moments, like a finger found in one of the pies. Burton uses some of his favorite actors in this one, particularly Depp and Bonham-Carter. Depp is THE perfect ideal Sweeney Todd -- his creepy eyes, pallid face and still, almost seductive manner are perfect for the maddened murderous barber. He goes through the movie slashing his razors at the world, and injects a real creepiness into scenes like Sweeney cooing at his "friends." While she's only a passable singer, Bonham-Carter is eerily wholehearted as Todd's equally amoral partner-in-crime, who is quite happy to assist him.... and make tastier pies in the process. Rickman is wonderfully loathsome as the Judge, and Sacha Baron Cohen has a small but priceless role as Pirello, a huckster acquaintance of Todd's who starts causing trouble. He really steals his scenes. Most directors would have prettified, sanitized and defanged the grotesque "Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," but Tim Burton and Johnny Depp revel in the gore and madness. Astoundingly great.... Read Full Review »
5 / 5	A very good surprise!! R. King "Bobble" (England) - 2 April 2008 I was really not expecting much from this film when i found out it was a musical, despite the all-star cast, but i have to say that i found myself thoroughly entertained all the way through! The gore didn't bother me as i'm a fan of horror but some people may find it off-putting, but the plot is well thought out and the acting (and singing!) is brilliant. Really well worth watching.
5 / 5	Style personified B. "go on, take my advice - you know you want to..." - 28 February 2008 Tim Burton films are style & elegance personified, with just a hint of acid to keep them fun. And whenever you have a Burton/Depp collaboration- you know you're in for something special. Sweeney Todd is no exception to this rule. The film itself is a sumptuous feast... moody, muted tones with splashes of crimson & technicolor as Mrs. Lovett's imagination takes flight. The songs are tiny punchlines and, as usual, Johnny Depp conveys more with a look than most manage in an oration. All done with panache and lots of gore to sweeten the pot. What more could you ask for? ... Read Full Review »