A tale of love, jealousy and revenge is brought to film, based on a famous Broadway musical, set in the pits of London's underbelly.
As the story goes a very talented barber by the name of Benjamin Barker was living the good life with his wife and daughter in London, but a powerful judge was jealous of Benjamin and wanted his wife all to himself. So he had Benjamin arrested and sent away for the better part of 15 years as the movie, itself, starts. So here we are 15 years later and Benjamin is a bitter man pent on revenge, so much that he changed his name to Sweeny Todd and worked diligently to make sure that everyone he came in contact didn't know him by Benjamin Barker, the man he once was.
So by now his wife is gone, said to have poisoned herself and died, and at the same time his daughter, Johanna is under the care of the judge that ruined his life. A total kick to the face right? Well now "Sweeney" goes back to his old home to find it abandoned and above a meat pie shop inhabited by a really bitter yet passive Mrs. Lovett, who we soon find actually had a thing for Sweeny in his Benjamin Barker days. So with her help he plots his revenge and recrafting his skills of shaving and barbering. Now you might say to yourself that that seems kind of boring, but it gets better. Seems that Sweeny is practicing his vengeful neck slicing that he has planned for the good old judge, on patrons. It also seems that Mrs. Lovett is low on good meat for her meat pies and is in dire need of something "special". Are you catching what I'm throwing? Good. It all boils down to an hour and a half long movie of slicing, dicing and meat pie scarfing.
 
Now I have to tell you I was kinda weary coming into this movie, being a huge Tim Burton fan and an even huger Johnny Depp fan, goes against what you all thought of me huh? Anyway, I figured a musical by Tim Burton wouldn't be bad being that Corpse Bride and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were excellent and dark in their own rights. So what I didn't really take into consideration was that the music was already set in stone being that it was based on a Broadway play, and I have to tell you friends, the songs were quite... annoying. With that said I really liked this movie, of course hearing Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall singing kinda flipped me out, being that I always picture them as Professor Snape and Wormtail from Harry Potter. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, however, stole the show. It's always good to see them acting together because they have such great chemistry. In all this movie sucked music wise but really packed a punch, or a slice, when it came to the good old blood and guts.
Think of it this way, it was a lot like Sleepy Hollow, only a musical.
Now if you go into the theatre thinking “Alright! Johnny Depp in another musical!” your going to be freaked the hell out, I myself flinched a lot at how strange the songs were. Now if your coming in for a good story and some damn good FX your in for a treat because Burton, as always, delivers.Definitely Recommended!
By
Back to Horror Review Archive
|
ALTERNATIVE TITLE: Sweeney Todd
MOVIE YEAR: 2007
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITING CREDITS: John Logan, Stephen Sondheim
GENRE: Crime, Musical, Thriller
CAST: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 95 min
RATING: 8/10
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Website/IMDB Click here
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Trailer
|
