Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

[Bourne101]

Directed by Tim Burton

Genre: Thriller

Tagline: Never Forget. Never Fogive.

Plot Outline: Sweeney Todd a.k.a Benjamin Barker returns to London after being sent away by Judge Turpin with the help of a sailor, Anthony Hope. He opens a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Shop were she sells "the worst pies in London." With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd tries to rid of all the people who have ever done him wrong and hopes to be reunited with his daughter, Joanna, who is now Judge Turpin's ward.



Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Rated R for graphic bloody violence

Runtime: 120 minutes



One of my most anticipated films of this year. The reviews have been insanely good and I for one will be seeing this on opening night.

[dfd3657]

With this and There Will Be Blood next week, Christmas is coming 4 days early.

[JackassFan]

I have a two month longer wait than you guys, but I'll still be seeing it on the opening day. Everything so far looks amazing, and it's shaping up to be a classic.

[Cronos]

Really looking forward to this, sucks the UK release is 2 months away though . Looks great.

[Scrunch]

I'm looking forward to this one more than any film in a long time. I remember seeing the stage show in 1988 and it was fantastic. I have the broadway soundtrack and have been listening quite a bit to that lately. If they do a midnight showing of this on Thursday I'm debating it. And I'm too old for that kind of stuff these days. Hahha

[SpikeDurden]

I have no words for how excited I am.

[ilovemovies]

It looks like wicked fun.

And the reviews are actually better than I thought they would be. It looked like a fun movie but the reviews have actually been GREAT. I'm actually kind of surprised by how many critics have it on their top 10 and how awards/nominations it's been getting.

[Scarfather]

I'm apprehensive on the level that I haven't warmed up to Depp in the role yet, and that Tim Burton either makes a great movie or an abhorrently shitty one.

But being a Sondheim tard, I'll be there.

[Mr.HyDe807]

Im really starting to warm up to this movie, looks like a pretty sweet movie/musical!

[dfd3657]

Wait? When the hell does this come out. I just saw a TV spot, and it said Christmas, but the banner at the top of the page a minute ago said the 21st. I R CONFUSED.

[Lazy Boy]

This and There Will Be Blood should be glorious denouement to 2007, and I'm hoping that at least I'll get a 50/50 chance that one will be good.

Helena Bonham Carter's singing voice isn't very strong or anywhere near as good as Angela Lansbury's in the same role, but it's not fair for me to judge 30 second samples.

[Scrunch]

True. Angela Lansbury's voice was much more theatrical I think. I am curious to see how I like the singing as a whole but it does feel like you get a little more about the character through the way Helena does it.

I used to think Mrs. Lovett was kind of a ditz (way back like 20 years ago when I first saw the musical.) I don't think that anymore!

[TeeRay]

I'm having a hard time getting excited for this. It just looks like another Burton film.

But, I might be surprised.

[corran horn]

Originally Posted by ilovemovies

It looks like wicked fun.

And the reviews are actually better than I thought they would be. It looked like a fun movie but the reviews have actually been GREAT. I'm actually kind of surprised by how many critics have it on their top 10 and how awards/nominations it's been getting.

I was surprised (but elated!!) by that as well. The reviews I've read (Rolling Stone, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, EW) have all raved about Johnny Depp's performance--as well as the whole cast's--and many have called this Tim Burton's best film since Ed Wood, if not his best ever. Despite the bloodiness, I smell a strong Best Picture contender.

[Strider]

This is my most anticipated film of the year, and I cannot wait to see it. Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors, Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors, and Stephen Sondheim is just brilliant -- Sweeney Todd has got potential to be an absolutely incredible picture.

Strider

[Moviefan1234]

Another film that is coming out that looks very promising. I can't wait to see it, lately, Depp can do no wrong.

[Le_Big_Mac]

This and There Will Be Blood are the only two movies left this year that I have great hope will keep this year from being devoid of any truly great movies.

[Rawlin67]

this is one of my all-time favorite musicals, its absolutely genius, and i really hope Burton turns it into a great movie, not just an average one like some of the other broadways-gone movies.

[Scarfather]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBigoM-nK1U

lol

[TeawithBlood]

I'm just a giddy school girl waiting for this to come out on Friday. Burton is one of my favorite directors. Depp is my favorite actors. Sweeney Todd is my one of my favorite musicals (second to les miz and tied with Godspell). I just can't wait. From what I've seen of the movie it looks great and I hope it doesn't dissapoint in anyway.

[Nomein]

Anyways, I went to see this at the midnight showing. I wouldnt exacly call myself a fan of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, but I did appreciate their early efforts together, so thought this was a safe bet for a movie I could appreicate.

The end result was... a movie that wasnt bad... I want to like it really. It got all the great elements there, the production design is wonderful, the story is well scripted, the actors are top notch... but the singing... is... well...almost intelorable, usually for a musical to work you need more than just familiar faces, you need good voices to carry the music.

Im sure teenage goth kids will eat up the crazy hair and pale make up and everyones permanent frown, and all the social comentary (which is as shallow as it gets). But, this isnt the golden years of Edward Sissor Hands and Sleepy Hollow... this is watered down, like going to a bar and ordering shot of something hard only to learn its lost its kick while you swallow it.

The great- a very bold concept, with great production values, and if you get a hard on for Johnny Depp in outfits, thats there too, furfils the typical revenge story arch.

The Bad - Hearing the same damn song over and over again untill you want to shoot the bastard sining "Joaaaanaaaa." Everyones singing voice, scene after scene that just do not matter untill you go to the end, and everyones throat is getting slit like its trendy or something.

The Ugly- The rat dude from Harry Potter and the....Werewolf Gary Oldman one, wtf is he doing with Snape (who plays the judge).

[RandalGraves]

Just got back from seeing it and I must say it was pretty good...looks beautiful on the big screen, some of burton's best work imo. And the soundtrack is amazing, went and picked it up right after the movie. 8.5/10

[Quigles]

SWEENEY TODD is a movie that I respect more than I actually love, as I can't really see anything wrong with it, yet it didn't blow me away as past Burton films have. One thing's for sure: it ain't got nothing on EDWARD SCISSORHANDS.

I'm not really a fan of musicals, but between this, ONCE, and HAIRSPRAY, I find it hard to keep saying that. SWEENEY actually has the best story of the three, yet it's also my least favorite. I can't quite put my finger on why. Perhaps there's just something about musicals that make them work better as cheerful romps than bleak gorefests.

While HAIRSPRAY was like an injection of sunshine and rainbows, SWEENEY is the exact opposite. It's excessively dark, gothic, and bloody. That's not to say it doesn't have a sense of humor, however, as it often has a tongue-and-cheek vibe added atop the gruesome proceedings.

There's really nothing bad to say about this film. If you think you'll like it, you probably will. It's just a matter of preference. The music is good, the acting is terrific, the style is classic Tim Burton... it's exactly what most viewers will be hoping for.

7 OUT OF 10

[Bourne101]

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - 10/10

Stunning, just stunning. Everything about this film is brilliant. I am not a fan of musicals at all, but this is about as musical as a film can get, and I absolutely loved it. The songs are all very clever, interesting, sometimes funny and brilliant. Each song served a purpose and wasn't just thrown in for nonsense like the oh so horrific Hairspray. The directing is absolutely amazing. Burton will no doubt get a nom. The acting is good all around, with Depp being the highlight, proving even more that he is one of the best actors of our time. The film is extremely violent, so all you musical lovers that will have none of the ol' ultra violence, I suggest you stay away. Depp really knows how to fuck some people up with a razor. The story is amazing, and is told absolutely perfectly. The cinematography is stunning. I could go on and on all day about how great this movie is, but you'd be better of going to the theatre to see this than reading my rant. GO SEE IT NOW! And not only are the songs great, but the score is amazing. A truly powerful and exhilarating score, especially in the first scene! I was almost blown right out of my seat.

[inglourious basterd]

Most "emo" film I've ever seen. Extensive palate of grays and red. If you can see humor in people getting their throats slit to music, then this film is for you.

Visually this film is brilliant and beautiful to look at. There are some scenes that are masterfully filmed. My only gripe with the film is that, sometimes, the numbers felt long to me. Nevertheless, I appreciated its uniqueness, its beautiful visuals, and its often funny moments.

7/10

[athf1980]

I love to see this but I hardly doubt that the theater in Huron,SD will get it but I will have chance to see it when I got aberdeen,sd next weekend

[Bourne101]

Originally Posted by psudoazn

Most "emo" film I've ever seen.

Do not speak of "emo" when you speak of Sweeney Todd. Yes, the film is extremely dark, but that does not mean it is "emo" at all. Sweeney Todd is a film with an amazing story told with excellent acting, beautiful cinematography and stunning direction. The word "emo" describes a person who feels so sorry for themself that they rebel, dress like a fucking idiot, listen to the most retarded fucking music on earth and cut themselves to ease the pain. The description of Sweeney Todd and "emo" are most certainly different, the only similarity being that both represent something dark. Todd being a dark film, and "emo" being a dark piece of unworthy of living shit.

My rant is done.

[BakeTheMooCow]

I loved every second of it. Gorgeous to look at, expertly paced and with a tremendous performance by Depp. The man is a god. And what a list of supporting players - Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen were all cast to perfection.

[dfd3657]

Wow. Just wow. Saw this a couple of hours ago, and it's definitely in my top 3 for the year. It was just...amazing to look at (despite there being not a lot of color through the majority of the movie), and Depp was absolutely amazing as Sweeney. His voice isn't spectacular, but it's completely fills the part, and he does a wonderful job with it. I loved the duets with Helena Bonham Carter and Depp. And Depp and Rickman's duet was fantastic. The soundtrack was just spectacular (downloading it as we speak; I'm buying it next week, I'm just too poor at the moment ). This is really a machine gun approach at posting my thoughts, but boy, I loved this movie. Definitely seeing it again sometime soon.

[inglourious basterd]

Originally Posted by Bourne101

Do not speak of "emo" when you speak of Sweeney Todd.
My rant is done.

When I speak of it being "emo", I'm half-heartedly joking. I don't think that anyone takes my review seriously or at face value -- there are obviously no emos in the film.

Everything you mention in your review is correct.

Deep down, though, I can't shake the feeling that certain elements of the film and cinematography reminded me of "emo". Sweeney Todd had very little emotional range and was infatuated with cutting. He and Bonham Carter were excessively pale and were extremely macabre. The film had beautiful cinematography, but its palette mainly consisted of bright red and dozens of shades of gray.



Yes...I agree that it was brilliantly directed and filmed. I agree that the film is unique and amazingly acted. Yes -- I agree that thematically, Sweeney Todd isn't emo at all. But, it didn't stop me from thinking --"man the emos will be all over this shit."

[Uncle June]

This movie was a major letdown. Before I get into why, let me start by saying it's not at all Tim Burton's fault. Technically speaking, with this Burton's created his most aesthetically pleasing work to date.

Besides Sacha Baron Cohen, who totally rocked, everyone, including the man I consider the best actor of this generation (Depp), was just off. The acting was ehh, the singing (esp Carter's) was atrocious (yea yea, they're not singers, but there's a difference between getting by and butchering), the entire movie was just missing something. It basically felt like a bunch of scenes cluttered together rather than a movie, I just didn't care about anybody in the film. It was incredibly boring to watch all these people go about their actions when it was just showing me it rather than pulling me into the experience.

I'll write a full review for this, I think, once I have time to decompress. But man, what a shame.

[NuclearMisfit]

10/10. I would probably go as far as to say this is my favorite Burton flick, i loved the set, i loved the characters. The singing was really well done and i thought they should have dusted off Johnny Depps vocal cords and given him a singing part in the Corpse Bride and it would have been even tons better.

Also talking about Emo my local theater is a parking lot away from the big mall and there was tons of Flock of Seagulls haircut wearing people and as soon as i saw that I said "man this movies gonna be all the hottopic shoppers are gonna rant and rave about" then after the movie there was actually a few emos who acted out a few of the shaving scenes.

My problem with this movie was they didnt follow through with the storyline, first off you got this dude whos singing about Joanna through the entire film and they dont even finish that storyline. Why bother if they arent going to show what happens to them.

[inglourious basterd]

**SPOILERS**

Originally Posted by NuclearMisfit

My problem with this movie was they didnt follow through with the storyline, first off you got this dude whos singing about Joanna through the entire film and they dont even finish that storyline. Why bother if they arent going to show what happens to them.

I didn't really have a huge problem with this.

Sweeney Todd pretty much gave them a wide open road. Given how dark the movie was, don't you think that it would have felt majorly uneven if the film ended with a wedding or a sappy, non-climactic getaway?

The final image that the film left us with was haunting, mesmerizing, and beautiful. IMO, it was a great place to end. Yes -- they could have told us that 2 + 2 = 4, with the Joanna storyline. But I think they gave us enough clues to figure out what happened.

[xseanymacx]

9/10.

I loved every bit of this movie BUT the 3 or 4 playings of the "Joana" song. I just didn't like the song or the scraggly fuck singing it.

Every other song I thoroughly enjoyed and actually liked Depp and Carter's singing voices. I don't think with this type of movie, with it being so dark, you want your leads to sound like angels. That's just me.

[bigred760]

Ahhhh, musicals. So fun to watch, sing along with when you know the words, it's like karaoke and movies collide. Of course, I didn't know the words to the lyrics in Sweeney Todd with it being my first viewing and all. But it's still fun to enjoy nonetheless. This is probably the darkest musical I've ever seen, but the songs, the story, the characters, and definitely the look of the flick made for a good musical; hell . . . there were some moments where I would've considered the movie a dark comedy.

Johnny Depp once again impresses me with his range. He portrayed a vengeful, psychotic, singing barber very convincingly. I was into the songs he was singing, and the scenes where he's slicing and dicing those folks who were expecting a shave are not only gruesome and gorey, but they're a bit funny too because Depp is singing while he's slicing from ear to ear. Helena Bonham Carter plays the barber's partner in crime and in business. She also sings quite well (who knew?) and together they play quite a sadistic couple. The cast also includes a great Sasha Baron Cohen, and Alan Rickman as Depp's target of his vengeance.

The story's quite simple really: barber wantes revenge on judge who sent him away for life after falling in love with his wife. The barber's daughter also comes into play, is the judge's ward, and is part of a subplot involving a sailor that looks to Depp for help. But the story and the subplot are secondary to the fact that it's a musical, the dark sets and tones, and to Johnny Depp in general.

8/10

[dfd3657]

I'm really sick of people saying "I wish they didn't repeat the songs so many times." It's called a refrain, bud. I personally love Johanna (the song).

[bigred760]

Originally Posted by dfd3657

I'm really sick of people saying "I wish they didn't repeat the songs so many times." It's called a refrain, bud. I personally love Johanna (the song).

The only problem I had with the song is that it reminded me too much of "I just met a girl named Maria" from West Side Story. That song gets on my nerves a bit.

[TeawithBlood]

I have to say this was a really good movie. I've loved the musical it was based off of ever sense I first saw it in my choral class 5 years ago. Great story and great cast of characters. The plot was a little see through and there times where there was more story, but then a musical can be but so long and it was so good that all of that could be ignored.

I was so excited the my second favorite musical was being made and it had Burton as director and Depp as Sweeney. It just couldn't be beat. And I have to say I wasn't dissapointed. Every thing about the movie was great. It is def one of my favs for the year. I was sad to see the main song (the ballad of sweeney todd) absent from the film but I have to say that the scene for by the sea more than made up for it. And of course I couldnt be rid johanna (god I hate that song), but it has its purpose in the film adn I dealed. I wish that had been more background to the story that could have been out into that play but very good adaptation and good film period.

9.5/10

[xseanymacx]

Originally Posted by dfd3657

I'm really sick of people saying "I wish they didn't repeat the songs so many times." It's called a refrain, bud. I personally love Johanna (the song).

I didn't like the song the first time I heard it so why would I want it to be repeated? That's like buying a CD and thinking you have to like every single track.

[Scrunch]

Personally as a 20 year fan of the musical (egads, that makes me older than I would otherwise normally want to admit) I was thrilled. I missed a couple of my favorite songs but I thought the darkness and emotions were played out really well. Took a lot to not sing along. I can't wait to see it again.