Review of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) by Tomp. — 25 Jan 2008

I find it hard to completely dislike almost any movie but Sweeney Todd is an exception. I found nothing to like in this overly stylized tribute to the darkness in the souls of men. The inevitable and predictable violence was gratuitous and strangely without meaning.

The characterizations were particularly shallow except, perhaps, for Helena Bonham Carter's as Mrs. Lovett and Ed Sanders as Toby. The music, which many reviewers have attempted to redeem as "adequate" or "acceptable" is, in fact, awful.

The scoring is overwhelmingly harsh and within seconds after leaving the theater I could not remember a single melody or more than two or three words of any lyric. I'm sorry, but Johnny Depp is not a singer.

Moreover his facial and body nuances were nothing more than rehashed Cap'n Jack from Pirates. And I say this as a pretty big Depp fan in general. As usual Tim Burton has created a deeply atmospheric experience but it's not enough to carry the day.

With regret, not recommended.