Sweeney Todd Movie Review Thread- Page 4

[GoSmileLaughCryClap]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 5:12pm

Newsweek Review:


The first thing to be said about Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd" is that it's quite faithful to Stephen Sondheim's 1979 musical while being every inch a movie. The second is that it's bloody wonderful. Emphasize bloody. The title character has a few anger-management issues. Sweeney is a revenge-obsessed Victorian London serial killer who slits the throats of his victims as they sit in his barber chair. The bodies are then dumped in the cellar, ground up and served as meat pies in the shop of Mrs. Lovett, his partner in crime. These murders, which transpired from an almost comic Brechtian distance in Hal Prince's original stage production, become something else in Burton's loving close-ups. The highly stylized blood doesn't just ooze, it spurts and sprays like water from a garden hose. All of this accompanied by some of the most beautiful, witty and disturbing songs in the musical-theater canon.

"Sweeney" is not always easy to watch, but you can't turn away. From our first glimpse of Johnny Depp's haunted, vengeful eyes as the ex-convict barber sails into London on a mission to kill the man who stole his wife and child and sent him off to prison, we're swept into Burton's pitch-black vision. It meshes perfectly with the bitter curl of Sondheim's lyrics. Burton isn't interested in class warfare or the industrial-age political metaphors that Prince emphasized onstage: his "Sweeney," from John Logan's adroit screenplay, is an up-close-and-personal tale of blighted passions and dark obsessions. It has an emotional intimacy that allows you to see the work with fresh eyes. The object of Todd's rage is the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), a villain right out of a 19th-century melodrama. Todd learns that while he was serving his time, his wife poisoned herself, and his now grown daughter, Johanna (Jayne Wisener), became Turpin's captive ward, whom he aims to marry. There's a romantic subplot in which Todd's traveling companion, the young sailor Anthony (Jamie Campbell Bower), falls in love with Johanna, which remains the lamest, most conventional aspect of the story. The pretty Wisener and prettier Bower are decorative, and not much else.

The rest of the cast, however, could hardly be better. No one will claim this is the most beautifully sung "Sweeney Todd" he's ever heard, but that's not the point: they act the songs with hair-raising conviction. This anti-hero may have a one-track mind—he can't see anything beyond the rage that drives him—but Depp is such a soulful presence he gives you a glimpse of this maniac's pain and pathos. Bonham Carter is extraordinary. She reinvents Mrs. Lovett from the inside out—underneath her tough, practical hussy lurks a haunting melancholy, the yearning of a woman in love with an unreachable man, sucked into his madness in the vain hope he'll open his black heart to her. Sweeney's idea of a love song, however, is the inspired "My Friend," a passionate serenade to his barber's blades—he's like a twisted Edward Scissorhands in love with his own metallic fingers. Sacha Baron Cohen (a.k.a. Borat) makes a delicious, scene-stealing appearance as the charlatan barber Pirelli, who makes the fatal mistake of trying to blackmail his rival.

The performances are pitched at just the right scale: theatrically exaggerated but untainted by "Broadway" bombast. Who knew Burton would have such an uncanny feel for how to film a musical? His strength has never been storytelling—his Gothic imagination flowers episodically—but "Sweeney Todd," his best movie since "Ed Wood," keeps its eye on its dark prize. It has the relentless forward momentum of a shark in blood-stained waters

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/8/07 at 6:45pm

Hell... YEAH!

I hope Rotten Tomatoes puts these new reviews up soon.

Updated On: 12/8/07 at 06:45 PM

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 6:12pm

Brian Gibson at (checks paper) Film School Rejects.com gives the film an A, but doesn't think it has heart.

While some of the review seems fairly idiotic (he lists the fact that the film doesn't have a moral as a downside), he does bring to mind a worry: do you think someone who has never seen Sweeney before, who has never heard the music before, could get into the film?

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/sweeney-todd.php

[cubanpab]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 8:44pm

i saw the show on broadway in 2006, hated every minute of it, barely knew what was going on, fell asleep... and i LOVED the film and didnt want it to end. every minute of it.

[pab]

Posted: 12/11/07 at 9:12pm

"i saw the show on broadway in 2006, hated every minute of it, barely knew what was going on, fell asleep"

That statement now makes me kind of question your review of the movie.

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 7:36am

Oh, this is fantastic...

"For such an idyllic gothic setting, Burton misses his cue to update the songs with orchestration, reharmonization, tempo, and key changes that could have corrected the music's tendency to slip into a drone of same-sounding pitches..."

http://filmcritic1963.typepad.com/capsules/2007/12/sweeney-todd-th.html

[Elphie3]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 11:38am

HA! Now that's just funny.

"Sweeney Todd" - the non-scary rock musical

Where's that thread about bad ideas for musicals?

[jpbran]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 11:46am

Rotten Tomatoes:

Only 9 posted thus far, but it's still at 100%. (and several of the reviews I know of that aren't posted yet are very good!)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1183955-sweeney_todd_the_demon_barber_of_fleet_street/

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/12/07 at 4:55pm

Well, it had to happen, but here is the film's first "official" negative review (although it's still 9 for 1)

http://boxoffice.com/reviews/2007/12/sweeney-todd.php

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 7:53pm

Just a quick update:

According to Rotten Tomatoes, SWEENEY TODD has 24 positive reviews and 4 negatives, adding up to an 86% rating.

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 8:00pm

hopefully once it officially opens there will be an inundation of positive reviews!

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 8:10pm

Oh, I don't think we have much to worry about now. Most of the reviews consider SWEENEY to be as good as Burton's ED WOOD (okay, with one or two "Burton's-style-takes-away-from-the-music"'s).

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 8:43pm

One of the biggest Film Mags here in the UK and i believe the world have given it 3/5

"It's Gross but will it gross? Burton and Depp's cannibal musical is an especially acquired taste - Oliver! re imagined by Eli Roth.Brave, Brutal ..Ballads?"

"It works to a point.For while the painterly camera work, Ornate production designs and occasional tilt towards jazz hands performance conspire to keep the action at a distance, Depp and Carter present their beating hearts on gore soaked sleeves "

"Its Johnny of course who'll snag the headlines and accolades, his black eyed sweeney retaining audience sympathy even while he looses his own soul and slashing jugulars, but its Bonham Carter's tenderness that's the balm to the movies pulsating sores - her love for sweeney is barley noticed let alone requited, adding an ache of poignancy to the screaming agony of carved necks"

Updated On: 12/18/07 at 08:43 PM

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 11:04pm

I was curious about the release date as well, cause I called all the major theater venues here in SF and they said that they are not showing the film just yet and their websites do NOT show ST as a listing of times for Friday...I want to see it so bad now...

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 12/18/07 at 11:17pm

My local theatres have it listed on fandango for the 21st.

[artscallion]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 8:06am

It's scheduled at every little podunk theatre in my little speck of a New England town. I can't imagine they'd release it here and not SF, DrT. It's being released in 750 theatres on the 21st. One of them must be in SF.

Edited to add:

SF SHOWTIMES

Updated On: 12/19/07 at 08:06 AM

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:00am

Saw an advanced screening last night.

AMAZING. Visually stunning. Johnny is simply beyond riviting. As my father said, perfect for the role. HBC is a lovely Lovett IMO. She brings something new to the role- perhaps it is that she is younger than most Nellies?

The only thing missing were the lyrics to The Ballad *evil grin* The music itself never sounded better.

I got in line behind a quartet of young drama students in full costume: the one boy in the group was Sweeney with Johnny Depp's hair, Cerveris' black tie and a bloody apron. LOVED his homage to each incarnation. One of the three girls was Mrs. Lovett complete with Angela Lansbury's little puffs, another was the Begger Woman and the last one was "Johanna." She was LOVELY with her long blonde hair and pretty face, but she didn't have time to dress in her actual costume after work *lol* I was THRILLED to see them and meet them. We talked about Sondheim and the show. It made the night even more exciting!

Updated On: 12/19/07 at 11:00 AM

[thibodeaux]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 6:12pm

I just saw it last night! A special pre-screening at a local indie theatre in NC.

It. Was. Amazing.

Dreadfully bloody and way more gory than the stage version (obviously), but most specifically when it comes to Perelli and Turpin. Oh, and, well, when he's all done with them...well, that was pretty hard to watch for me, as well, but then I also don't handle gore very well...(and I'm going to see ST, go figure, right?)

I won't put any spoilers or anything, but I will say that it's definitely worth the trip to see it. It was a great adaptation and Depp brought something dark and sinister than you can't get on a stage. Sure his singing wasn't amazing, neither was Bonham-Carter's, but they both worked it very well and I bought it, definitely. There were a few parts, like during "Joanna" specifically, where it seemed a little corny, but it worked for the most part.

Though Depp does speak-sing a lot, I think it adds something really interesting to the interpretation.

"By the Sea" is a wonderful song in the movie, hilarious! Really the only song I really missed as "Kiss Me" but I suppose it does create a more streamlined story if they cut it out.

The boy playing Toby was WONDERFUL. I was very appreciative that they cast age-appropriate for the three children in the piece; the boy playing Antony was also quite good, but Toby was a real standout.

Overall, it was great! Kudos to Burton! Go see it!

[jpbran]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:38pm

Hmmm... The Rotten Tomatoes score has sadly dropped quite a bit. Down to 82%.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1183955-sweeney_todd_the_demon_barber_of_fleet_street/

A LOT of reviews still haven't been tabulated, so hopefully it'll head back up.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:46pm

Most of the major reviews haven't been posted yet. One of the major dailys didn't like it, but many others are quite positive. The score should go definitely go up a few points (probably mid-high 80s) when its all said and done.

That said, Metacritic is a much more accurate appraisal of collective reviews than Rotten Tomatoes.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:48pm

The NY Press review just plain confuses me. I think this is another reviewer who wants a Sweeney rock opera.

http://www.nypress.com/20/51/film/ArmondWhite.cfm

Updated On: 12/19/07 at 11:48 PM

[BDrischBDemented]

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:56pm

That review was just... bizarre. I'm not sure I get the critic.

[pianojohn]

Posted: 12/20/07 at 9:34am

I was fortunate enough to attend a sneak preview of SWEENEY TODD on Tuesday here in Orlando (the mecca for theatre and culture....NOT!)

My review?

BLOODY BRILLIANT!

Bloody: yes, VERY! It is kind of stylized like SIN CITY but if you are squeamish, you may have to look away from the screen quite a few times.

Brilliant: the cast, the cinematography, the music. Lush, gorgeous, heartbreaking.

See this film as soon as you can!! But leave the kids at home.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/20/07 at 10:17am

John Simon loved it.

"Musicals do not readily make it from stage to screen (think, Oscar notwithstanding, Chicago) or vice versa (think Singing in the Rain). The two mediums, despite repeated attempts at rapprochement, remain radically different. Each kind must tread its allotted path.

So now we are in for a surprise. Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, often successfully revived on the stage (though never a match for the Broadway premiere), bestrides the screen undiminished.

...this is a superior movie in every respect."

John Simon - Sweeney Todd

[James885]

Posted: 12/20/07 at 10:33am

Well it's now at 85% on rotten tomatoes so hopefully it will go up a bit more, though 85% isn't bad by any stretch.

Just for comparison purposes, and to show the wide range of ratings from other recent movie musicals, I thought it would be interesting to post the ratings from rotten tomatoes:

Dreamgirls - 78%
Hairspray - 92%
Across The Universe - 52%
Enchanted - 93%
The Producers - 51%
Rent - 48%
The Phantom of The Opera - 33%
Chicago - 87%

Updated On: 12/20/07 at 10:33 AM