Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

My Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%

I first heard about the story of Sweeney Todd from my mother. we heard about this movie and how Depp recently got nominated and she explained it to me. it was only a couple years later when i went to spend the night and my friend Blane's house. Now at this time, Blaine for one was starting to become quite the fan of pretty much any movie that had to do with Tim Burton or Johnny Depp so when i told him i didn't see this movie but i was a little interested in doing so, he didn't have a problem in the world. And I'm glad he showed me it because thanks to him, not only do i enjoy this movie, but I've come to like it all in general...minus the big whistle that would be made every time someone dies in the actual Broadway show. Really hated that.


Plot: 15 years ago, a barber named Benjamin Barker lived a very happy life with his wife and baby girl. But then Judge Turpin noticed his wife's beauty and falsely charged Barker and sentenced him for life in hard labor in Australia. Now he has returned under the alias of Sweeney Todd only to find that his wife poisoned herself when the judge raped her shortly after he was sentenced and the judge has taken his daughter as his ward. With the help of his neighbor from back then, Todd reopen his barber shop waiting for a dark and bloody chance for revenge against the judge. As he waits, he used his shop as a way of making money with his neighbor, Mrs. Lovett with her pie shop by cutting the throats of his patients that won't be missed and turn them into meat pies.

Normally i don't normally take very well to dark and sad movies anymore than i have an interest to a lot of horror or slasher films. But with the musical numbers and being already aware of the story, plus all the other things that i did not know about the story of Sweeney Todd, this to be was a very fun film, the whole setting is very dark and gothic, the blood is very fake but it's more or less suppose to be, i find this a very entertaining film.

Acting/Characters: Now the one general problem with this film is that almost everyone is facial expressionless.
Johnny Depp/Benjamin Barker-Sweeney Todd: Depp was one of the most facial expressionless in this film, but in a way it worked. it showed how he was focused and eager for his revenge. And he showed whether or not he was furious or sad even with that stone face and it worked to me. Granted, the stone face didn't get him any farther than just the nomination when the Oscars came around. But to me, it was good enough as a way of showing how while he is the protagonist of this film, her is also the darkest, evil person in the entire cast.
Helen Bonham Carter/Mrs. Lovett: Carter was probably had the second most facial expression in the film. which in a way helped to make Mrs. Lovett a bit of a interesting character. She has this simple goal to win the heart of Sweeney Todd and is more than willing to help reach his goal even if it's assisting him with his bloody revenge by making meat pies out of his victims.
Alan Rickman/Judge Turpin:while he was very facial expressionless as well as Depp (probably more) it also worked for him as well. It had a way of making his role nice and simple as the events of the film began to unfold due to his actions years ago.
Timothy Spall/Beadle Bamford: Spall had the most facial expression and the most movement out of the entire cast. All there is to say except how his role is very short.
Jamie Campbell Bower/ Anthony Hope: facial expressionless, likable character, nice singing voice...at least in the extent that he had a better song concerning a girl (Joanna) than "Maria" in West Side Story (Love the film i'm just say i dislike that particular song.)

Music: the music for both the film and the original broadway musical was done by Stephen Sondheim. and i really liked it. he had a lot of good songs like "the epiphany", "A Little Preist" and "Pretty Woman". the only problem i have with the music with Sweeney Todd in general outside of this film is the high pitched whistle that occurs when someone is killed. when i tried just listening to the original soundtrack when i burned it on two separate cd's I kept getting started every time that went off and i really hated the original music for that. I haven't tried touching let alone listening to my cd's to that musical since. So i particularly enjoy the music to this film because it doesn't have that. probably wouldn't have the same particular effect as it does on the broadway anyway.

Editing: it was very plain and simple. they didn't have to make any numerous hard cuts for any scene or musical number, they just kept the whole thing plain and simple to tell the story.

So this is my review for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. it's a very dark movie with some fun music and cast that generally uses very little facial expression and i for one enjoyed it that way.