MOVIE REVIEW: SWEENEY TODD

12/19/07

SYNOPSIS: JOHNNY DEPP and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical thriller “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” DEPP stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who “shaved the faces of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard of again.” Joining Depp is HELENA BONHAM CARTER as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney’s amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies. The cast also includes ALAN RICKMAN, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison, TIMOTHY SPALL as the Judge’s wicked associate Beadle Bamford and SACHA BARON COHEN as a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli. © Paramount Pcitures. All rights reserved

REVIEW: Blood . . . lots and lots of blood. The very beginning of this picture, during the opening credits, has blood flowing through the streets of London representing the passionate acts of revenge to come. Benjamin Barker returns to London as Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), the talented barber of Fleet Street who wants revenge for being wrongly imprisoned and separated from his family. He wants revenge and he wants blood to an obsessive degree. His drive and obsession takes him to the point of becoming the demon of Fleet Street. The subtitle could not be more accurate. The role of Sweeney Todd could not be better cast. As a matter fact, everybody in this film was perfectly cast, and I mean everybody. Now I know you might have read that same phrase, perfectly cast, in either some of my other reviews or others’ reviews but believe me when I say that this one takes that phrase to a new level. Johnny Depp was born to play Sweeney, Helena Bonham Carter was meant to play Mrs. Lovett, Alan Rickman was perfect for Judge Turpin, and Tim Burton should have been the only choice for Director of this project. This story lends itself to Burton’s masterful style of gloom and darkness and this movie oozes it. The movie is visually and audibly stirring. It will entertain you, move you, disturb you, and just plain gross you out . . . it’s great!

As I mentioned before, this film is dark, sinister, and very pale. It is what revenge would look like if converted into a visual form. The music is powerful and it’s the backbone of the story. By the way, did I mention that this is a musical, in case you didn’t know? Yeah, can you believe it? This story was adapted to be a Broadway show. That really leaves me astonished to think that this bloody story was done on stage. So the music is not only powerful, it is very important to the plot, so pay attention to the lyrics for most of the songs. Another by the way, these guys can sing and sing well. The three big stars in this picture, Depp, Carter, and Rickman, do a pretty good job of singing and most of you have probably never heard them sing before. Well I can tell you that they won’t let you down. Another pleasant surprise is the presence of Sacha Baron Cohen playing the role of Signor Adolfo Pirelli, a rival barber. There is a pro and con to his inclusion in this production. The pro is that I truly believe that he is a talented actor that has only skimmed his potential, as is evident in his performance in this film. It is a small role but very well done by Sacha. The con lies in the fact that his recent and major claim to fame as the character Borat distracted moviegoers. As soon as he appeared, many viewers started cracking up because he’s using an accent and people immediately associated him with Borat. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the movie Borat, but I say give Sacha a chance to show you what he’s got.

Sometimes watching a movie with a relatively simple plot is beneficial in allowing you to focus on the acting, the cinematography, and in this case, the music. This story is a simple one of revenge for an immeasurable amount of injustice done to an innocent man and his family. The simplicity is turned into complexity as the story is laid out in music and visuals. Even the costumes and the general look of London adds to the effect. This movie in my opinion fell slightly short of a perfect score because of its goriness and blood flow which might turn many of you off. However, the quality of this production is evident in every facet. This is not your average holiday movie but in the words of Sweeney Todd, "I can guarantee the closest shave you'll ever know."

Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

People Movie Review Sweeney Todd

Michaela	100
Blood is a major part of this movie but other than the blood it is a terific movie.The songs are kewl they flow right into the movie perfectly. This movie I THink is beautifully cast. Everyone who was in this movie was born to play their roll. They all did a wonderfull job with thier parts. THIS MOVIE IS KRAZY,KEWL,GROSS,SAD,AND ENTERTAINING! YOU'LL LOVE IT!!!

Amber	100
I thought this was a great movie, but for a very specific kind of audience. Those of you who think you might be interested should definitely go see it.

Chyna Doll	100
thought this movie was excellent. Johnny Depp played a terrific job being Sweeney Todd. The songs are cool except for one where they kept singing Johanna.....that started to get on my nerves but other than that. It's a classic for those of you who love musicals. Oh yeah and the blood scenes are crazy.....

Chris M	100
Amazing film!! Great music, perfect casting and solid acting from both lead and supporting actors. A very twisted story, very dark, very sinister and very bloody! But I loved every minute of this sublime musical..