Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Review

The Verdict:  I am SO glad I saw Sweeney Todd on the big screen!  It was so close to the stage play that I could not believe it and the singing was surprisingly good.

Just the Facts:  I love the tale of Sweeney Todd and have since I was a kid and went to see the stage production.  My dad was a fan of the play and took the whole family to see it in the early 80s and we've all loved the dark, horrifying tale ever since.

So when I heard that Tim Burton (whom I love) was making Sweeney Todd the movie starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Alan Rickman, I was chomping at the bit to see it.  Well today was the day and I took my dad along for the ride.  We both loved the show and my mom tagged along too although she hid her face behind her coat much of the time.

The story of Sweeney Todd is a bit complex.  He was a barber named Benjamin Barker who lived in London with his wife Lucy and their daughter Joanna.  But there was another man, a corrupt judge (Rickman), who had his eye on Lucy and wanted her.  So he imprisoned Barker falsely and sent him across the sea for 15 years to serve his sentence.  In the meantime the judge made his move on the wife who eventually poisoned herself.  The child, Joanna, became his ward who was basically imprisoned in her room in his house. 

When Barker's sentence was complete he returned to London and assumed the name Sweeney Todd.  He rented a room above Mrs. Lovett's (Bonham Carter) meat pie shop and resumed his barber business, swearing to seek revenge on the judge who had wronged him so many years ago. 

So without coming out and saying it, the story is about a barber with a straight razor who gets revenge against his enemies, a woman who owns a meat pie shop beneath his business.  You do the math.

What results is by far the bloodiest, goriest movie I have ever seen in all my life.  The play was disturbing but is limited in what they can do in the special effects department.  Seeing the movie up close and personal with the special effects was almost too much to bear.  This movie is absolutely not for anyone under the age of 17 and is rated R accordingly.

But it's not just blood and gore.  The movie was acted and directed superbly.  I like Tim Burton but sometimes he's just a little too weird for me.  But Sweeney Todd was just perfect.  It was so close to the stage play that I was really quite surprised that he did not take a lot of creative license by changing the story.  Johnny Depp was amazing as Sweeney Todd and the visuals were great.  Things like his image reflected in the razor with Carter's face out of focus in the background and their contorted images in the broken mirror really helped to set the mood of anger, pain, and revenge.

There is significantly less music compared with the stage production but I think that's a good thing as the play tends to get a little long in the tooth for my taste.  And the singing was surprisingly good.  Not great, not good, but very, very acceptable. 

Closing Argument:  If you like dark stories and can handle a lot of blood, you might like Sweeney Todd.  Otherwise stay far, far away.