Sweeney Todd Movie Review

In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Johnny Depp plays a young barber in London who is robbed of both his family and his innocence by the corrupt local judge (Alan Rickman) who wrongfully arrests him and sends him away in order to steal his wife. Depp's character comes back to London years later as Sweeney Todd, an angry, bitter shell of his former self, hellbent on one thing: revenge.

First of all, this movie LOOKS great. The landscapes, the set pieces, the characters, and just the general environments look really good. (Especially in the new, all digital Clackamas Town Center cinemas.) Burton does a great job using his usual darkness for a distinct purpose in this film, really immersing us in the gloom of Sweeney Todd's environment. That alone was enough to draw me in, but it wasn't the driving force of the movie.

All the lead performances (except the overacting sailor boy) were very well done. Johnny Depp plays gloomy revenge like nobody else (like the dream montage where they go to different locations where everyone is happy except him, who's looks miserable throughout. It was pretty hilarious). Alan Rickman did very well as the lead antagonist. It's hard to stand next to evil, vengeful Sweeney Todd, the "Demon Barber", and make him look like the good guy, but Alan Rickman pulled it off. Helena Bonham Carter was great, as usual, and so was the little boy. However, the two characters who almost stole the show were Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford, who just oozed sleaziness and corruption, and Sacha Baron Cohen as rival barber Adolfo Pirelli, who absolutely stole every frame he was in. Lucky for Depp he wasn't in it long. But still, that wasn't the driving force of the movie.

The real driving force, and I need to double check that I'm really talking about a Tim Burton movie here, was the story. The story of Sweeney Todd, a betrayed man, coming back with a new identity to exact his revenge was really fun to watch. The morbid quirks and the way he planned and executed his revenge, and ultimately how the film wrapped up was very satisfying. From the opening credits, following the blood's path, all the way to the final drop, was engaging and oddly delightful considering the subject matter. Kudos to Tim Burton for that.

Now, as many people may gripe about, this was a musical remade into...a musical. I've heard people say it would have been better without the musical aspect, or that the musical numbers only slowed it down, and while that may be true, how can you know for sure. I thought it worked remarkably well actually, and made the movie an experience that it wouldn't have been if it was different. I thought it was a great musical script, and the musical numbers, while not as memorable as some, worked well in this great story.

This is the 2nd best movie I've seen all year (behind No Country for Old Men). I loved it, and wouldn't hesitate to see it again. I hope it has success at the award shows and that everyone goes out this Christmas and sees it.

On the Reganometer, I give Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street a 9 out of 10.