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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Review


by Mark Salisbury



Overall 4.25 of 5 view all 44 reviews




A bloody good time
5 star rating

Romance Sap, a lover of quirky unique films, into movies that tell a great story, in love with Johnny Depp, comedy fan, a music lover, love chick flicks
Pros

    casting, excellent acting, excellently shot, surprisingly good singing, Tim Burton--always a plus, stayed largely true to the stage play


JAN
3
2008
Admittedly this is not my usual movie type, Johnny Depp or not.  However, I am a fan of musicals, and Depp, and Burton.  As with many of Burton's projects, it has dark comedy and Depp is brilliant at delivering that type of fare.

I was surprised at how good the singing was, and had no problem with the diction.  Because much of the tale and motivation behind Todd's plan of revenge is contained within song, diction is important--so much of plot could otherwise have been lost.  It was very well done. The music was "catchy" but not insultingly simple like much of today's "pop" fare. Gee, it had more than 3 chords. Imagine that! 

I am not generally a fan of bloody flicks, and don't go out of my way to see them.  The fact I went to this movie and loved it speaks to the quality of the acting and directing. I did, however, do my fair share of covering the eyes, and cringing.  It definitely is not for the faint of heart.  However, I don't think the "bloody" element was overdone, considering the subject matter.

It was like seeing a Harry Potter cast reunion with Helena, who as Mrs. Lovett was as deliciously evil and twisted as she was as Bellatrix;  Alan Rickman as the odious Judge Turpin was very well casted--and actually great to see him without the black locks of Severius Snape; and Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford plays as blindly loyal a henchman to the twisted Judge Turpin as he played in the Potter films as Peter Pettigrew--loyal to Lord Voldemort. 

Johnny Depp was brilliant as Sweeney Todd, and quite frankly, I can't think of anyone else who could have done the role.

What I liked best was the ending--for once it was not a happy Hollywood ending with all loose ends tied up.  I would have been very disappointed had there been some stupid ending tacked on.  Life is full of loose ends, and it is refreshing to see a movie that leaves some questions unanswered. 

This is, simply, a great movie.

Last edited on Jan 10, 2008


I_thumb_up Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is recommended by MoodyWench

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I_comment_shdw24 Comments about MoodyWench’s Review



kid-kansas wrote on Jan 3, 2008 at 8:53PM


Great review! Ron