Sweeney Todd
The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Review by: Skitty

This Review is Rated R
Warning: All reviews may contain spoilers.

Merry Fucking Christmas! I just saw the big Christmas release, Sweeney Todd, last night, and holy wow, go see it. Even knowing what I was in for, I was on the edge of my seat. This just got elevated to my favorite movie musical, knocking Chicago out of number 1. Lets start with a preparation for the audience. To quote Saw, oh yes, there will be blood. I saw an interview with Alan Rickman where he said that, at the end of the day, he had fake blood everywhere, including in his underwear. The blood itself was a bit red for my taste, but it was very reminiscent of the stage production. Once you get past the overt theatrically of it, you realize how essential it really is. I've seen productions of this show where they try to skimp on the blood, but this is a show that just doesn't work without it. You have to have it in buckets, and you have to have it squirting everywhere, or the show falls flat. This is Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street...of course there's going to be gore. But what about the singing? One of the big question marks in the weeks leadin up to this release has been can a cast without a single professional singer carry off Sonheim music, known for it's complexety and extreme difficulty? I won't deny that it does lack something that a professional cast might have hit, but I wouldn't trade these actors for anything. For one thing, a Tim Burton masterpiece without Johnny Depp would be simply ridiculous. And I have waited a long time to see him and Helena Bonham Carter together, and no Corpse Bride does not count. The bottom line is that I never really felt like the movie lacked anything in the way of singing. Have I heard better versions of some of the songs? Sure. But these guys were really good, and I was highly impressed. But be prepared, friends. You may think you know what you're getting into, but you really don't. The subject matter is such dark humor that you hardly know whether to laugh or run screaming from the theatre. I felt myself cringing back into my seat on more than one occasion for no reason other than that I knew what was coming. For those of you who will be watching Sweeney's story for the first time, you're in for a treat that may just make you sick. But that's Sweeney for you. I had my doubts as to whether a story this dark and complex could be made effectively on the screen, but they have since been laid to rest. So, with all the movies coming out this Christmas, which one do I reccommend? Definitely Sweeney Todd. Thank you Tim Burton, for once again putting the gore in gorgeous.