While I was intrigued when I first heard about this, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to see it, since apparently there was so much blood involved. After hearing one of the songs on a podcast I decided to get it yesterday and so watched it.

Was it bloody ? Oh yes, very. And disturbing. Very.

But I still kinda liked it. The main trio of Depp, Carter and Rickman did some excellent work, in acting and also in singing. Some great songs in there.

And I think it actually was less gory due to the sheer amounts of blood and other exaggerations.

And I really liked seeing that special Burton touch again, I had forgotten how much I liked that !

Very well acted by Depp and Carter. Brilliant (albeit very dark) directing by Tim Burton. It’s had to compare this to the Angela Lansbury stage version. Both are winners, but this one has a LOT more blood. Who knew Depp could sing? Not even he was sure, as the lovely bonus reel explains. See it!

I’m passionate about a select number of musicals – albeit only in video – first and foremost “West Side Story” and then “Hedwig And The Angry Inch”. I like Tim Burton. I also like his wife, Helena Bonham Carter, and Johnny Depp. I don’t feel such like, however, for Stephen Sondheim, who’s written the music. Despite this and the story being thinner than a sacramental wafer, it’s compelling and very nicely wrapped. The story concerns Sweeney Todd, a barber who returns to his home town following 15 years in exile, never expected to return. He was framed by a judge who stole his sweet-heart and wants his life back. Things don’t go quite as he anticipates, and the story dwindles as most musicals do. The songs, however, shed light on people’s thoughts the way that regular dialogue or monologue do not, especially in blockbusters like this one. I’m foremost thinking of the first duet between Depp and Bonham Carter. Anyway, the film is bloody. I like all the gore being displayed as is, blood spurting everywhere, even though the killer and accomplice seem stupid in saying they’ll never be found. All in all, an entertaining film; it felt shorter than the two hours it runs.

I’m very picky about my musicals, and even MORE picky about my movie musicals. But Sweeny Todd’s always been a point of curiosity for me, and I have a soft spot for Tim Burton and an even softer spot for Johnny Depp, so I figured it only right that I go out and see it in the theater. And I have to say that I was growing very uneasy during the opening credits sequence. I’m sure it was supposed to set the tone as dark and bloody, but I was growing bored about a minute into it: not a good sign. Thankfully the movie really picked up, though, and I was surprised at how good it was considering how much they cut out. Turning a 3+ hour production into a 2 hour movie is no small feat, but Sweeny Todd is an effective, chilling, mesmerizing movie.

Tim Burton developed a really great visual style for this movie: obviously the tone is overwhelmingly black, but the moments in the movie where bright colours are utilized are very stylized and effective as well. And it’s also very gory, which might put some people off but is entirely appropriate for a musical about a serial-killing barber. Johnny Depp comes off as a kind of punk-rock Sweeny, which fits very well with the style. I was a little leery about Helena Bonham Carter, as I am whith any of Tim Burton’s “muses” show up prominently in a movie, but she was alternately creepy and adorable as Mrs. Lovett, she of the worst pies in London. But the standout performance was Ed Sanders as the young Toby: an amazing set of pipes and just perfect for the role, almost better at times than Depp.

As impressive as the visuals were, there were times that it was almost too black, when the humour fell a little flat. I thought that they could have played some parts with a little more tongue-in-cheek – “Try The Priest” in particular should have been a bit more playful – and then get down into the real blood and guts of the piece, so to speak, in the second half. But that’s a minor quibble considering how polished and exciting the overall product was. Recommended if you can handle fountains of blood AND movie musicals.

Caught an advance screening tonight.

I’ve never seen the stage production of Sweeny Todd…but I really, really liked the movie. Burton is an amazing director. Bloody as hell, but in an artful way, if that makes sense…