"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007)

The Good:
Tim Burton is one hell of a guy. For someone who is as weird as they come, he's found his niche and he's sticking to it. I've seen many of his films countless numbers of times, and I must say that this is by far his masterpiece, rivaled only by Edward Scissorhands. His style, his flair, his vision were all completely understood and presented in this film. Mr. Burton has proven himself to be the current king of macabre in film, and he's doing in with such quality, that can't even be found in the horror films of late, which is where it should be featured prominently. Everything in this film works, and even things that weigh it down don't do it enough to slow the massive machine that is Tim Burton. The dissonant and ominous score and songs by Sondheim are so perfectly featured, that it doesn't even seem odd for the characters to break in to song constantly, which is very rare in musicals. From the cartoonish red of the blood to the shadows across Todd's face, each part of the film is perfectly orchestrated by Burton and his team of macabre film wizards.

The supporting actors in the film all are incredible. Toby, Johanna, Anthony, Judge Turpin, and especially the Beedle are so vivid and so complex as characters that the story moves at a good pace because of their ability to captivate. This could be attributed to the mostly perfectly cast actors. They are all so fitting in to their roles, that it should be no surprise that they're as soaring as they turned out to be. Not to mention, all of the cast members sing wonderfully, including Depp, who has a strength as well as a quiet intensity to his voice that is so beyond perfect for portraying Todd that one would think he was born to sing Sondheim's sweeping lyrics.

The Bad:
As much as Johnny Depp is wonderful as the demon barber, he had his weak spots as well. There were many times while he was singing where he would rely too hard on the music and the lyrics to display the emotion needed. This provided many spots with the "blank stare". Depp would just give a blank and vapid face that seemed ill-fitting in many situations. Even though Todd is a thinking man and could be pensive through many spots in the film, there should have been some fire in his eyes, yet there was nothing. Luckily, the rest of Depp's performance doesn't let these spots infect his entire performance.

While we're on the subject of performance, Helena Bonham Carter is beautiful, but her Mrs. Lovett is not. She has a wonderful singing voice that's breathy and whimsical, but unfortunately that's all she has going for her with this performance. I didn't feel her love for Sweeney Todd, I didn't feel her desperation for admiration from Toby, nor did I feel any sympathy for her whatsoever when *SPOILERS*she was thrown in the oven in the end. Bonham Carter relied too heavily on the insanity of the character than the deeper yearnings. It was a disappointing performance, and constantly took me away from the film and the story. What could have been something of greatness, Helena failed to rise to the occasion, and it shows on screen.

Overall: Burton delivers a desolate, macabre, and striking Sweeney Todd that triumphs in its "Burton-esque" qualities, despite a performance by Bonham Carter that appallingly fails to deliver.

B