There are many words to describe this film that usually never fit in the same sentence: shaving, pies, blood, and Johnny Depp singing. Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street transcends the musical genre by creating something completely different - an extremely dark satire about human vengeance.
Former barber Benjamin Barker aka Sweeney Todd (Depp) returns to London after being exiled to complete one task - to kill Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who exiled Todd in order to steal his beautiful wife and child. When Todd returns, London is not the same when he left. First, the city is darker … much darker. Second, Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), the woman who owns the pie shop below his barber shop, is running out of business, as meat is getting expensive. Because Todd wishes to let out his anger on the entire city and Mrs. Lovett needs meat, the two make quite a sadistic, murderous pair.
Sweeney Todd is a perfect adaptation of the gruesome musical on which it is based. The film does not lose any of its originality of mixing oil and water - slaughter and music. This isn't the typical musical because there are not huge numbers with flashy costumes and choreographed dances. It's like a standard tale of revenge, but the characters sing instead of talk. It may be a little unusual and disturbing due to the tone of the film, but the music provides an amazing contrast to the bodies in this dark satire: Depp singing about his beautiful daughter while slitting throats is quite comical.
There are many contrasts in this movie; just look at it. Everything is so dark that it's almost black and white, while the blood is the color of a bright red paint. Todd's flashbacks to his past are colorful and beautiful, but the present is dark. Even though most of Burton's films have a dark nature (just look at his resume), his film is as aesthetically beautiful as it is meaningful.
While the actors' voices are nowhere near American Idol's David Archuleta, the performances are great, especially from Oscar-nominee Depp, who never does a bad job. Besides the film itself, the DVD's only special feature is a short "making of" segment.
Yet to truly appreciate this film, it has to be seen as an allegorical fantasy centering on the theme of vengeance. In a sinful city, the men are so evil that they devour each other (both figuratively and literally). When revenge is used as a method to rid the city of its sinners, it only maintains the ruthless violent cycle that will inevitably devour everyone. A-
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