When I first heard about Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street I couldn’t wait to see it. I won’t say that I’m a fan of every Tim Burton movie, but I have always loved Beetle Juice. Also, over the years I have grown to love Johnny Depp, especially as Captain Jack Sparrow!
David was nice enough to rent the movie from Blockbuster for me, and we finally watched it a few days ago. I think he was a bit surprised when the movie opened with Johnny Depp’s character, Sweeney Todd, singing Broadway musical style. The movie is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, which, I haven’t had a chance to see. After seeing Johnny Depp’s version, I don’t think I would want to see the musical.
This movie definitely would not appeal to everyone, there is a fair amount of blood (but not too much gore), and a LOT of singing (hey – it’s a musical!).
The movie centers around Todd’s transformation from Benjamin Barker into the demon barber Todd. Barker is sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, by a judge who is infatuated with his beautiful wife. 15 years go by, and Barker, released from prison, sets up a barber shop in downtown London, using the name Sweeney Todd, while he seeks vengeance and revenge. It is here that the sinister, demonic nature of his barber shop becomes apparent, along with his partnership with Mrs. Lovett who runs the meat pie shop downstairs.
I love the cinematic style of the movie, with bold, dark colors and only the rare bright colors. I also loved the look of Victorian era London, and would be curious to know if the movie depicted this accurately or not.
Despite all of that, I did feel that the middle of the movie dragged on a bit. I was hoping for a bit more action, and plot narrative and for me, the middle was just a little boring. However, in the end, the movie definitely redeemed itself.
It’s certainly not one of my favorite movies, or even one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, but I did enjoy it and I’m happy to have finally seen it.