Review – Sweeney Todd

The holidays are upon us and what is better than sitting down and watching your favorite classic movie like A Christmas Story, Scrooge, or how about a throat slashing musical? Uh, yeah. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are at it again. Another dark depressing movie set to a classical tune and song, Sweeney Todd is a depressing tale of a barber that was thrown in jail on false charges for 15 years. His wife and infant child were taken from him. Upon his return to London, he meets a girl (Helena Bonham Carter) that runs a meat pie bakery that helps him set his revenge on the man that set him up.

This movie is as “Tim Burton” as it comes and will probably satisfy any die-hard fan. The visuals were amazing. He shows that he still knows how to decorate a set. In my opinion, Tim Burton has been on a slow decline for a good part of the past decade in the story department. This one definitely lacked depth and direction. The entire time watching I wasn’t sure if the movie was going to turn into a straight comedy, romance, or slasher flick. The songs were quirky at times and serious at others and while it was just under two hours long, the first two acts dragged on and the third act felt liked it ended as quick as the swing of a blade.

The Verdict:

Although I have many complaints for the movie, it wasn’t a complete disaster. Johnny Depp is always enjoyable to watch and this character suits him well. The musical aspect was not as bad as I thought it would be. The blood and light comedic songs make it enjoyable enough to watch. I’d say wait for this one on DVD.