Director: Tim Burton
Writers: John Logan, Stephen Sondheim (musical)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Sacha Baron Cohen
After being sent away by Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd a.k.a Benjamin Barker returns to London with the help of a sailor, Anthony Hope. He opens a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pie Shop, where she sells "the worst pies in London." With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Todd means to rid London of the corrupt aristocracy, and hopes to be reunited with his daughter, Johanna, who is now Judge Turpin's ward.
'Gory, grotesque and gloriously dark humored musical version of the Sweeney Todd story. Courtesy of the familiar Burton team of Depp & Carter (only this time losing Danny Elfman as it’s based on a stage musical by Stephen Sondheim). Adding to the fact Tim Burton's recent films have been very hit and miss and I'm sure I'm not alone in the fact that I tend to hate and be bored senseless during musicals, I wasn't overly expecting to enjoy this. How wrong I was as it's such a visual & aural treat and remarkably more depth to its plot than this story as been given before, almost as if penned by Dickens. Performances are top notch with Johnny Depp cutting a fine figure as Mr T looking somewhat like the flaming lips lead singer Wayne Coyne (specially in the scenes he sports a blood drenched face) and singing like the great white duke himself David Bowie. Helena Bonham Carter does fine in the role of human meat pie maker Mrs. Lovett, the supporting cast are likewise on fine form, though Alan Rickman seems slightly out of water during the scenes he sings. It's also got to be mentioned here in cultdb that it's a shame that Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head and horror legend Christopher Lee had a song cut, surely a treat for the DVD release with some luck. Anyway to sum it up the film flows so well and we reach the end in what seems like no time at all, my favorite bit being the scene Mr T and Mrs. Lovett sing about which humans make for the better pie like politicians being too oily. Highly recommended though the nature of musicals I’m sure it’s a film that will not work for all viewers.'
(9 out of 10)
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