Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Review

It's been said that I am overly critical and dislike pretty much all movies. I would like to be the first to dismiss these rash assumptions. While I do criticize movies a bit (and review any new releases I get to see), you'll notice that only two of the movies I have ever reviewed have received lower than 3/5. These include The Da Vinci Code, a 2/5 which I still stand by, and Saw IV, a 1/5, and a series which people either love or hate (you can guess which one I side with). Otherwise, the rest of the scores have been 3/5 or better, with many receiving 4/5, and a select few receiving 5/5. Therefore, it should be noted that I actually like and wholeheartedly enjoy the vast majority of the movies I see. However, when I point out flaws, some people take that to mean that I dislike the movie. This is not the case. Just because I like a movie does not mean I think it is perfect. By the same token, just because I dislike a movie, does not mean you have to dislike it as well, nor does it mean that it has no redeeming qualities (see my previous blog for a further dive into this topic). Not every movie is my favorite, and I do not intend to push my favorites on you. I merely give my opinion to invite discussion. Though it appears this discussion moved in a direction I had not intended.

Moving on to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, one of the more interesting movies I have seen. I give a caveat, however. This is not a movie for everyone. It's a Tim Burton movie, and it's probably his darkest yet, surprising though it may be. It's a slasher, a thriller, a horror film, and, oh right, a musical(?).

Sweeney Todd, previously known as Benjamin Barker, is returning from deportation at the hands of Judge Turpin, with a faithful sailor, Anthony Hope, at his side. Barker loses his beautiful wife and daughter, and returns a rather darker figure, that of Sweeney Todd. Vengeance is on his mind, and as a barber, he has access to his "friends," his razor blades. When he returns to his home, he finds that Nellie Lovett has taken up shop as a meat-pie maker (though they are the worst in London). She tells Sweeney Todd that his wife poisoned herself. Todd also learns that his daughter is the ward of Judge Turpin, further fueling his quest for revenge on the judge. Anthony Hope sees his daughter at the Judge's house, and falls in love. He intends to rescue her. Later, after a failed attempt at the Judge's murder, Todd and Lovett go into an operation of sorts, where Todd's victims become the ingredients for Lovett's meat pies. Yes, I'm serious.

The rest of the story you shall learn, if you so wish. Oh and by the way, this is a musical. There is dialogue, yes, but I would say the ratio of music to dialogue is probably split down the middle, maybe leaning 60:40. So, if the story, and the fact that it is a musical have turned you off, then don't learn the rest of the story. You won't want to.

But this musical is probably the darkest I have ever seen or heard of. There's blood, gallons of the stuff, although it's done in an over-the-top way, so it's not overtly disgusting. Still, there's a lot of murder, a lot of throat-slicing, so if you don't think you can handle that, I'd suggest staying far away.

I must say, Johnny Depp is one of (if not the best) actors I have ever witnessed. He embodies Sweeney Todd, and is in top form here. Plus, he is a pretty good vocalist, something I would not have expected. But it's really the character he creates that steals the show. He is just so creepy, so devilish, so maniacal. And he actually doesn't have too much dialogue. It's really his eyes, and his expressions that I was so impressed with.

And then there's Helena Bonham Carter, who basically equals Depp. She is at her best here, being evil, insane, and yet human at the same time. And she has some pretty good one-liners, adding to the dark comedic tone. She and Depp make an unbeatable team. If I was on the Academy, they'd get my Oscar vote.

Alan Rickman, whom most of you know as Snape, surprised me, in a way. His character turns out to be quite perverted, as he plans to marry his adopted daugher (his ward, Todd's daugher). He plays this perverted man quite well, and though he has limited screen time, he makes the most of it.

Oh yeah, Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) makes a brief appearance, and then is a victim of the quite gruesome first kill of Sweeney Todd. He's hilarious, as always.

The music is also quite good, partly due to Burton's implementation of it. This is not a bombastic musical, and the music, while plentiful, is not the focus. The focus really is on Todd's descent into madness, and it is really captivating to watch this. Like I said, the music is good, and although Broadway singers these actors are not, they are more than capable of carrying a tune, and they fit quite well. Many of the songs are actually quite funny at times.

Like I said, Burton is in top form. He really makes the story of Sweeney Todd intriguing, and I never got bored. He has created a dark world that supports Sweeney Todd's transformation into a maniacal killer. His London just has so much style, it's infectious. He emphasizes the surreal so much, almost like Tarantino did with Kill Bill. When you say Tim Burton, you'd never think musical, but he definitely knew what he was doing. This is a Tim Burton musical, and you'll know what I mean.

This darkness, however, may turn some people off, especially at this time of year. I found it odd for this to be a holiday release, although I really didn't find myself dispirited as a result. But it is dark, and it is bloody which may turn some people off.

Also, even though Burton elevates it from Broadway to the silver screen, there are some aspects that don't translate as well as others. The love story between Anthony Hope and Todd's daughter, Johanna Barker, feels really tacked-on, as a sort of "I know it's dark, but here's some innocent brightness" feeling. I know it's in the musical, and Burton does his best to implement it, but he doesn't quite nail it, in my opinion. Although it won't really matter, because you won't really care about that part anyway. And there are minute instances where you wish there was no music. But these are few and far between.

Also, and this is a minor quibble, sometimes it is hard to understand what the characters (Bonham Carter in particular) are saying, because they have rather heavy English accents. You never really feel lost, but you'll find yourself laughing when others aren't, and vice versa, because certain people understand different things. It's not a big deal, but it can be annoying. Furthermore, the movie ends rather abruptly, and doesn't really tie everything together. That sort of makes the ending even better, though.

But honestly, this a movie that really doesn't have a cause (when everything else in Hollywood seems to). There doesn't seem to be any political motivation, any social issue at stake, it's just a movie. It's entertainment, and captivating entertainment at that. It's probably Burton's best, and I am not afraid to say that. It's hard to find a movie that Johnny Depp doesn't shine in.

I can sense an Oscar or two for this one...

4/5