I really wanted to enjoy Sweeny Todd. I like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, so I thought it had potential. I’m not a fan of musicals, but I saw an interview with Tim Burton where he said they didn’t go for the full on musical thing because they used regular actors, rather than the traditional sort of musical actors. This gave me a little hope.
I went to the cinema with two other people. Jodie, a drama teacher, was disappointed because she expected it to be more like the stage musical. Apparanetly there is some stuff missing and vocally it wasn’t what she expected. Steve claimed it was the worst film he had ever seen. I thought it was just OK. I know this sounds stupid, but I didn’t expect there to be so much singing. I thought it would be acting, broken up by a few songs. Instead it’s almost continuous song, broken up by brief spells of talking. I now realise the error of my ways, and I will avoid musicals like the plague, whether on film or stage. It’s just not my bag.
Visually, it’s classic Tim Burton. Very dark and grimey, with enought spurting blood to make it an 18. Helena Bonham Carter is like a gothed up version of her character in Fight Club. Johnny Depp is a strange mix of Edward Scissor Hands and Captain Jack Sparrow. Sacha Baron Cohen, of Borat and Ali G fame, was surprisingly good.
I fear that musical types won’t get this film, and non-musical types (like me), just won’t like this film. I’m not sure what audience it is aimed at. If nothing else, it’s taught me a lesson. 🙂
Cheers
Tim…