Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - 8 stars out of 10

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) - 8 stars out of 10

"Sweeney Todd" is an amazing story told in a very gruesome fashion. Tim Burton's genius work with dark movies lives on through "Sweeney Todd," both in artistry and twisted concept. The lack of color in their world, with the exception of flashbacks and blood (...there is so much blood...), gives the film a great Burton-esque feel. Though the vocal arrangements were adapted to eliminate full ensemble performances (thus eliminating the "spontaneously busting into song" sensation), the film stays very true to Sondheim's beautifully chilling original musical score. The acting is superb within this all-star cast as Depp and Carter navigate the incredibly challenging vocal score with excellence. Alan Rickman is awesome as always and Sacha Baron Cohen shakes off his reputation as Borat to put on an unexpectedly impressive performance. Spall is completely stereotyped (which is why we love him) while you will want to listen to Jamie Campbell Bower sing Johanna all day. I hope that you can stomach this one because if you can, you will be delighted in this gruesome story of vengeance and hate.