Sweeney Todd (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Tim Burton takes a stab (or a swish) at directing a musical by telling the tale of Benjamin Barker, aka 'Sweeney Todd'. Barker (Johnny Depp), having escaped prison in Australia, returns to London 15 yrs. after having been sent away (wrongfully) by the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). He re-opens his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) Meat Pie Shop; there, she sells her self-proclaimed 'worst pies in London'. With her help, Todd will try to rid all who’ve ever done him wrong. But the larger goal of their sinister plan is to retrieve his daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener), who is now the Judge's ward. Fine singing, fine acting, and a very macabre plot. The movie is good, gruesome fun; & it doesn't ask for much more than that.
In flashback, we see that Benjamin Barker lived a simple, but happy life; beautiful wife, lovely baby girl, etc. But the lust of Judge Turpin tears Benjamin from his wife & child. 15 yrs. later, Sweeney Todd steps off the boat with his new pal, Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower), and sets off on a deadly mission ... reclaim his family, kill the judge, & destroy the society he once lived in. Meanwhile, with no aspirations in life, no $$, no business, the depraved Mrs. Lovett is more than happy to have Barker back in her life. They come up with an idea that will benefit both of them greatly. Sweeney will get his revenge by assassinating anyone who sits in his barber chair. They'll slide down a trap door into Mrs. Lovett's basement. And from there, she grinds them down & bakes them for her pies!
Business booms. Mrs. Lovett has never been happier. Though, she doesn't realize that Todd is merely using her. Her dreams of becoming rich & living with him by the sea would be nothing more than fantasies. Sweeney Todd expunges his anger by slitting throats, but he's still not happy; he wants the Judge. Todd discovers that his wife is dead, and that his daughter (after having denied Judge Turpin's affections) was thrown into an Insane Asylum. Todd's new pal, Anthony, is smitten with Johanna. So Todd enlists him to rescue her from the Asylum, unharmed. With this late-breaking news, Sweeney's vengeful goal is more virile than ever. Kill the judge, kill his wormy assistant, Beadle (the great Timothy Spall), and reunite with his long lost daughter. And of course, bloody Chaos ensues.
This is a Tim Burton production, through & through. Everything from Depp's quirky malice, to the dark, shadowy, gothic visuals, to the uber-stylized Victorian London is his. And then there's the blood. The opening credits involve a stunning blood montage that sets the tone of the film. With Todd's 1st killing, a rival barber (well played by Sascha Baron Cohen), the exorbitant blood-letting seemed a bit campy & over-the-top. The blood doesn't even look like blood, really. But by the end of the film, I had a tolerance for it, and even enjoyed it. Burton's film is full of blacks, grays, whites, & reds; quite the motif. Now, as for the singing: Depp is actually quite good. Even Bonham Carter's thin, but personality-driven voice is effective. Jamie Campbell Bower has a very pleasant voice as he serenades 'Johanna'. And there's a lovely moment between Mrs. Lovett & her child assistant, Toby (Ed Sanders), as they sing the poignant, 'Not While I'm Around'.
As far as the acting goes, Depp is more or less his usual self (which is ALWAYS good). He looks great, sings well, & furrows his brow like the best of 'em. But I don't know if I felt the deep, soulful pain that he was trying to convey. And while I initially couldn't abide her presence in early movies, I'm finding that I like Bonham Carter more & more; Burton knew his life partner would make a great splash as Mrs. Lovett. She's gothically appealing, here. Just. Right. For. The. Part. 13 hours later, I still have 3 or 4 of the witty songs kicking around my head. One of my only reservations on the film's caliber is its slight lacking of character depth. That said, 'Sweeney Todd' ranks awfully close to Burton's brilliant Sleepy Hollow (another Halloween-esque genre flick). The malevolent, ghoulish fun is there. I loved this movie. It's just that for all the fun, enticing, savage energy, its lacks the tiniest 'something' that makes a true masterpiece.
In flashback, we see that Benjamin Barker lived a simple, but happy life; beautiful wife, lovely baby girl, etc. But the lust of Judge Turpin tears Benjamin from his wife & child. 15 yrs. later, Sweeney Todd steps off the boat with his new pal, Anthony Hope (Jamie Campbell Bower), and sets off on a deadly mission ... reclaim his family, kill the judge, & destroy the society he once lived in. Meanwhile, with no aspirations in life, no $$, no business, the depraved Mrs. Lovett is more than happy to have Barker back in her life. They come up with an idea that will benefit both of them greatly. Sweeney will get his revenge by assassinating anyone who sits in his barber chair. They'll slide down a trap door into Mrs. Lovett's basement. And from there, she grinds them down & bakes them for her pies!
Business booms. Mrs. Lovett has never been happier. Though, she doesn't realize that Todd is merely using her. Her dreams of becoming rich & living with him by the sea would be nothing more than fantasies. Sweeney Todd expunges his anger by slitting throats, but he's still not happy; he wants the Judge. Todd discovers that his wife is dead, and that his daughter (after having denied Judge Turpin's affections) was thrown into an Insane Asylum. Todd's new pal, Anthony, is smitten with Johanna. So Todd enlists him to rescue her from the Asylum, unharmed. With this late-breaking news, Sweeney's vengeful goal is more virile than ever. Kill the judge, kill his wormy assistant, Beadle (the great Timothy Spall), and reunite with his long lost daughter. And of course, bloody Chaos ensues.
This is a Tim Burton production, through & through. Everything from Depp's quirky malice, to the dark, shadowy, gothic visuals, to the uber-stylized Victorian London is his. And then there's the blood. The opening credits involve a stunning blood montage that sets the tone of the film. With Todd's 1st killing, a rival barber (well played by Sascha Baron Cohen), the exorbitant blood-letting seemed a bit campy & over-the-top. The blood doesn't even look like blood, really. But by the end of the film, I had a tolerance for it, and even enjoyed it. Burton's film is full of blacks, grays, whites, & reds; quite the motif. Now, as for the singing: Depp is actually quite good. Even Bonham Carter's thin, but personality-driven voice is effective. Jamie Campbell Bower has a very pleasant voice as he serenades 'Johanna'. And there's a lovely moment between Mrs. Lovett & her child assistant, Toby (Ed Sanders), as they sing the poignant, 'Not While I'm Around'.
As far as the acting goes, Depp is more or less his usual self (which is ALWAYS good). He looks great, sings well, & furrows his brow like the best of 'em. But I don't know if I felt the deep, soulful pain that he was trying to convey. And while I initially couldn't abide her presence in early movies, I'm finding that I like Bonham Carter more & more; Burton knew his life partner would make a great splash as Mrs. Lovett. She's gothically appealing, here. Just. Right. For. The. Part. 13 hours later, I still have 3 or 4 of the witty songs kicking around my head. One of my only reservations on the film's caliber is its slight lacking of character depth. That said, 'Sweeney Todd' ranks awfully close to Burton's brilliant Sleepy Hollow (another Halloween-esque genre flick). The malevolent, ghoulish fun is there. I loved this movie. It's just that for all the fun, enticing, savage energy, its lacks the tiniest 'something' that makes a true masterpiece.