Sweeney Todd is an excellent musical to begin with so put into the hands of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Sacha Baron Cohen, there was really nowhere to go but up. I almost told myself to lower my expectations going in because I absolutely did NOT want to be disappointed by something I have been looking forward to for years. I don't think I needed to lower anything though because this one was nearly flawless.
What I love most about the film is that it stays very true to the musical while at the same time, if it had not been based on a Broadway musical, could just as well have been a self-sustained Tim Burton classic. As staples of Burton's, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter infuse the film with a kind of creepy sublimity that is mesmerizing. The supporting cast is excellent and even though Sacha Baron Cohen appears only briefly, he is a force and steals all of his scenes. I really enjoyed Timothy Spall's performance as Judge Turpin's pesky minion, Beadle Bamford. He's one of these underrated actors who usually shows up in films with all of the star players from the Royal Shakespeare Company so unfortunately his performances are often overshadowed and overlooked.
The production value of Sweeney Todd is fantastic and the film should really be recognized by the Academy for its cinematography, art direction, and costume design. The cast also does an excellent job with Stephen Sondheim's musical numbers. While Johnny Depp definitely does not have your typical Broadway style voice, I almost enjoyed his own voice more so than many I've heard from actors trained in musical theater. I think it gave the character more edge and it set him apart from the rest of the cast which was refreshing.
While I always enjoy seeing cinematic adaptations of Broadway musicals, I was beginning to grow tired of the phenomenon, particularly following the disappointing Dreamgirls. Sweeney Todd has most certainly restored my faith in the genre simply because it seemed to want to do more than make money and attract Oscar attention. Tim Burton took the source material very seriously, brought together a group of enormously talented individuals, and created a unique and inspired piece of cinema I think will go down as one of the greatest Hollywood musicals of its time.
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