Directed by Tim Burton and starring both Johnny Depp and Sacha Baron Cohen. Due out sometime in 2007.

 

Based on the hit Broadway musical which tells the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/

I'll watch anything Burton does. I'm looking forward to this one.

Ive had the cd for about a year and I love the story. I cant wait to see how Burton and Depp adapt this to the bigscreen.

As long as Burton doesn't add any sappy sentimentality and leaves it it's teeth, I'm in.

 

My biggest worry is he subtly changes the material.

Burton and Depp should just get married already, they do EVERYTHING together it seems.

Burton and Depp should just get married already, they do EVERYTHING together it seems.

 

Well, except Big Fish, but I get the point.

I'll watch anything Burton does. I'm looking forward to this one.

I on the otherhand really don't like Burton and I think Depp is a very good actor but not the great everyone makes him out to be. With that said, I saw and loved the musical and the trailer just hit and it looks damn good. This shall be a must see

 

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809834155/v.../standardformat

Looks freakin amazing.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are some strange ass characters...and secret lovers...

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

 

 

Positives

+ Highly entertaining throughout. The story is truly captivating.

+ Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeney Todd should and will garner him a nomination. Great vocals from Mr. Depp throughout as well. He helmed a truly memorable character to perfection. Fantastic performance.

+ Helena Bonham Carter is spectacular. I've heard criticism of her performance, and while I have not seen the play, I couldn't imagine anyone else in her role. She is perfect for the female lead in dark, gritty type movies like this one.

+ Great music. The songs are all electric.

+ This material is incredibly dark, but through the use of fantastical elements (stylized blood) and offbeat humor it keeps you grounded in the film's world rather than reality. Truly, the material could have been made into a horror film if we were meant to look at it completely seriously.

+ Major props to Burton for the ending moments of the film. I was praying that it would end on the shot that it did, rather than ending it with a summation for the remaining characters.

 

Negatives

- Sweeney Todd's growth as a character is stunted by the script. One more scene depicting Sweeney's previous self in his happy, loving days would have sufficed. It would have built him up as even more incredibly tragic.

- The first 10 minutes or so missed the mark. The movie's desire to set-you-up with the story really doesn't allow you to be swept up into it immediately. It does, however, do a good job of setting the mood.

- Some obvious plotholes which I will not delve into here. This is almost a nitpick as the film is meant to have an almost fantastical element, regardless I did notice them right away and they were quite glaring.

 

Final Grade and Ranking

B+/A- = This is a highly entertaining film that you should see, even if you can't normally tolerate musicals.

#2 for the year 2007

Saw this today. Not a HUGE fan of musicals, so obviously I was less inclined to enjoy this. I'd score it a 6.5 out of 10. Very good looking movie with good performances, and, of course, fountains of blood, which would spice up any musical. However, I really just didn't think the music was that great. About half the songs were decent to good, and the other half failed to move me whatsoever. This isn't really a fault of the filmmakers, though.

 

If you are familiar with and enjoy the stage show, then you should really like this.

Saw this today. Not a HUGE fan of musicals, so obviously I was less inclined to enjoy this. I'd score it a 6.5 out of 10. Very good looking movie with good performances, and, of course, fountains of blood, which would spice up any musical. However, I really just didn't think the music was that great. About half the songs were decent to good, and the other half failed to move me whatsoever. This isn't really a fault of the filmmakers, though.

 

If you are familiar with and enjoy the stage show, then you should really like this.

The songs are considered the crown jewel of theatre music. I think you're missing the mark there. The music was exellent except for a couple HBC songs which could have used some enhancement as they were a little dull at times. There was not much happening on screen when she was singing her solos.

 

I thought the story was perfect. Each character was intertwined and used beautifully. It made me an instant Sondheim fan. The beginning could have been quicker as it did take a while for the movie to 'begin'. One of my few complaints. I'm still deciding on a grade, but it will certainly be higer than Mabdul's.

How can I be missing the mark on my opinion of the songs? I was unimpressed. That's just the way it is. Some people hate the Beatles. It happens.

Well, you're right but that's not exactly what I meant by 'missing the mark'. I can't remember what I meant as I typed it minutes after I woke up.

 

I'm going to give it a 9/10. Burton's second best movie.

I absolutely hate musicals. I am not that big of a Johnny Depp fan, though I do recognize that he is a skilled actor. That being said, I loved Sweeney Todd. I believe it to be both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's best movies. The songs were great and catchy, in my opinion. I will agree with previous posters in that the movie was too slow to develop at the beginning, though once it got going, it was great. I was also impressed with Alan Rickman's performance as I doubted how well he would do in a musical. Overall, I give this movie an 8 out of 10.