“Based on the hit Broadway musical which tells the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.”-imdb.com
“At last my arm is complete again!”
That it is! Anticipating for the movie for so many years, was more than worth it. If you loved the original, there’s no doubt you will enjoy Tim Burton’s rendition of Sweeney Todd. It’s more gory and beautiful than ever before.
The movie starts off with opening credits that are not much different from those in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory… just replace the liquid chocolate with blood. From the moment the film began I knew I was in for a treat. Johnny Depp (Sweeney) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Anthony) come onto the screen singing. I knew this would be a musical and it was!
The beauty of this film is that it does not loose its essence which makes it a musical. With most musicals-to-screen, some kind of magic gets lost. It’s quite clear that the magic still lives within the story. Although it doesn’t end exactly the way it does with Tobias in the on-stage versions, it is still depressingly beautiful. Even with all of the gore, it is picturesque.
As I left the screening, I heard one young woman say “There was so much blood!” Well, if there wasn’t, Sweeney Todd would not be the demon barber of Fleet street… now would he? Yes there is a lot of blood in the movie. Bright red blood, almost glow in the dark. It paints the canvas a nice red, across the discoloration that thrives throughout the whole film.
Helena Bonham Carter (Mrs. Lovett) takes the trophy with this one. She was fantastic and quite frankly stole the movie from Johnny Depp. Her singing was marvelous and she was delightfully creepy, just as Mrs. Lovett should be!
This film encircles around the themes of love, revenge, and just plain horror. It is a fun movie, full of funny moments and nail biting ones as well.
Though this is not a family film and geared more toward young adults and older, anyone that is a fan of the originals will like this film.
