Plot: In 19th century London, Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) was falsely banished by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who lusted after his wife. Fifteen years later, Barker assumes the alias of Sweeney Todd and returns to London. He goes to the pie shop of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), where he learns his wife killed herself after being raped by Turpin and that his daughter is now Turpin's ward and the object of his affection, which she doesn't want. Benjamin Barker, now Sweeney Todd, is determined to get revenge.
Review: I'm not a big fan of musicals. The only reason I wanted to watch this is because Tim Burton directed it. I was surprised at how fantastic this movie is.
The plot is very melodramatic and I absolutely love it. It's a fantastic story of revenge and love. When I watch this, I do feel like I'm watching a horror film version of Hamlet. Hamlet is a character obsessed with getting revenge, like Sweeney Todd is. His plans for revenge don't go as he intended, but unlike in Hamlet, it does work out in a twisted way for Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett. Until the end of the film that is.
The acting is outstanding. Johnny Depp is fantastic and I honestly think that this is one of his better performances. I don't know what Johnny's musical background is but he's actually a pretty decent singer. I didn't find him really mind-blowing but he's still good and holds his own. Helena Bonham Carter is also great in this. I think she and Johnny Depp had good chemistry between the two of them. Alan Rickman plays Judge Turpin, whom Sweeney Todd is going after for for revenge. I think he's brilliant in this role. Alan Rickman really is a great villain actor. Sacha Cohen Baron plays Adolfo Pirelli/Davy Collins, a barber who use to be Benjamin Barker's apprentice. I was surprised to see how good Baron is as a dramatic actor. We're so use to seeing him as Borat or anything else comedic, that it's very surprising to see how wide his acting range is. Jayne Wisener plays Johanna, Sweeney's daughter. I think she was very good in her role. Her vulnerability really shows on screen and I think she was a great asset. Ed Sanders plays Toby Ragg, an orphan that Mrs. Lovett hires and becomes deeply attached to her. I think he was phenomenal and he was a standout for me. The entire cast is amazingly talented and made this film work. Even though I love the plot, it's so over the top that it could've easily gone downhill. I think the cast helped the audience make sense of this crazy world.
Sweeney Todd is a musical so of course we have a wide variety of songs. I enjoyed most of them. My favourite was Worse Pies in London, sung by Helena Bonham Carter. I don't know why but I just found the song very entertaining and it's the more upbeat song that I can think of in the entire track. And it really gives us a good introduction of Helena Bonham Carter's character and a description of her struggles. I also believe Johnny Depp had a really good singing voice that fitted well for the role.
I liked the film's look. The makeup and costumes for all the characters is very much Tim Burton's style. Very dark, gothic and slightly depressing. The same goes for the setting of London in the nineteenth century. When you look at the film itself, you know that it's a Tim Burton movie.
Sweeney Todd kills his victims by slitting their throats. So of course this is a very bloody movie. I'm not a big fan of gore. I cringe at the sight of blood and gore in horror films, even though I love them. And I don't like gore because I think that filmmakers in general use it for the sake of it. They show gore because they want to, not because they have to for the story's sake. But in this case, I believe that the gore and blood was important and necessary to the story and the character of Sweeney Todd. The blood that shoots out of the victim's throat is showing us how mad Sweeney is and how determined is to get revenge for his life being destroyed, as well as the lives of his wife and now teenage daughter.
Sweeney Todd is a highly entertaining, fun and thrilling film that I think is one of Tim Burton's best films.
Rating: 4.5/5
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