Sweeney Todd Review

I saw "Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" a few days ago with Tyler and his friends. I know nothing about the stage version, and the movie has it's weak points, but over all I enjoyed it.

Normally I'm a bit bothered by how often Tim Burton casts Johnny Depp, I think he's a fine actor, but I have a hard time separating Johnny Depp the person, Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissors Hands, and all the other weird characters he's played, they all kind of meld together and i start wondering where dreadlocks went. However, in "Sweeney Todd" this was not the case, Johnny Depp, though not a strong singer, plays an excellent Todd. I was able to get over all his previous rolls and see him as the character. The rest of the movie was decently cast as well. I'm a huge fan Alan Rickman and Jayne Wisener as Johanna fit very well with the aesthetics of the movie, I wouldn't be surprised to see her in another Tim Burton film. I think that Mrs. Lovett came across as quite young, and if Helena Bonham Carter hair and make-up had been more matronly, the look of the character would have fit the part better.

Tim Burton always delivers when it comes to visuals, and I can really appreciate that. The costumes, make-up, and sets in "Sweeney Todd" set up a consistent mood of drab, dirty, goth London. While in the poorer areas this styling is expected, when it's carried over to the rich neighborhoods, specifically Judge Turpin's house, the effect is quite menacing. If this movie had not been so strong visually, I wouldn't have enjoyed it.

In the end I was disappointed with the plot and the character development. None of the character's seemed one dimensional because they embodied cliches. We assumed Todd had deep feelings and love for his wife because we've seen it in other stories where the husband returns to find his family torn asunder. I assumed all kinds of things about Mrs. Lovett, Judge Turbin, Johanna, and Anthony just because I've seen their characters in other settings. There was very little in the movie that made me feel anything about the characters or offered up any complexity. The plot scooted along at an odd pace, while parts of the movie dragged on, the ending was a whirl wind of resolution that blew past me in a matter of minutes. This left me pretty indifferent, and I left any emotional attachment I had to the characters in the theater.

I enjoyed the movie, but it had about the same impact on me as "Transformers" (my sister forced me to watch it with her a couple days before). I wouldn't go see it in theaters again, and I don't think i would rent it. However if someone pulled it out and really wanted to watch it I wouldn't object.