Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Reviews
Critic & User Reviews
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Critic Reviews
Something close to a masterpiece, a work of extreme -- I am tempted to say evil -- genius.
Read the full reviewBurton brings his signature visual style, and a pair of stock players for his stars, into this film adaptation, but he wisely follows Sondheim's lead, letting the music and spirit of the original piece show the way.
Read the full reviewAdmirers of Stephen Sondheim who have wondered whether a riveting movie would ever be made from one of his stage musicals can put aside their doubts and worries: Tim Burton has finally accomplished it in his ravishing Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Read the full reviewHelena Bonham Carter may be Burton's inamorata, but apart from that, she is perfectly cast, not as a vulgar fishwife type but as a petite beauty with dark, sad eyes and a pouting mouth and a persistent fantasy that she and the barber will someday settle by the seaside. Not bloody likely.
Read the full reviewTeaming with Depp, his long-time alter ego, Burton makes Sweeney a smoldering dark pit of fury and hate that consumes itself. With his sturdy acting and surprisingly good voice, Depp is a Sweeney Todd for the ages.
Read the full reviewThis Sweeney is a bloody wonder, intimate and epic, horrific and heart-rending as it flies on the wings of Sondheim's most thunderously exciting score.
Read the full reviewThe movie is so finely minced a mixture of Sondheim's original melodrama and Burton's signature spicing that it's difficult to think of any other filmmaker so naturally suited for the job.
Read the full reviewBurton's overall restraint is a welcome surprise. Shorn of his usual camp trappings, the director evokes a sadness beneath every uneasy smile he draws from the audience.
Read the full reviewBoth sharp and fleet, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street proves a satisfying screen version of Stephen Sondheim?s landmark 1979 theatrical musical.
Read the full reviewIt's not entirely surprising that Burton's Sweeney Todd feels heavier on style than on substance -- so much that the style almost subverts the story. Still, it's a gorgeous artifact and pretty enjoyable in all.
Read the full reviewSweeney Todd comes as close to raging at normalcy as Burton has dared. It's no coincidence that the rage is borrowed from a greater artist.
Read the full reviewIn the end, the real problem with the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is that he's not as bloody fun as he should be.
Read the full reviewWhat looks good on paper contracts doesn't guarantee results. Stylized but spasmodic, this "Sweeney" seems more interested in distancing than captivating an audience.
Read the full reviewReview excerpts provided by Metacritic.com.
The Metascore® designation for this movie is 83
User Reviews
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BLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEECHH!
"I began watching this movie and i started to like it. Then, when the first murder scene occured, i did not feel so good, so i stopped watching it. But that didn't stop me. Five minutes later BLEEEEEEEEEECHHHHHHHH! I hurled all over the toilet as tons and tons of orangey-red vomit bellowed from my mouth, spewing into the bowl, food i had eaten for dinner clearly visible in the big, slimy disgusting puddle of puke. When it was over i wiped my mouth and began to play my Wii. But then, five minutes later, ENCORE! BLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCHHHHHHHHHH! This time, an even larger, smeely green and yellowish river of barf flowed from my mouth into the toilet, so much puke that you'd puke too if you saw it. So, if you want to hold down your breakfast/lunch/dinner, don't see this movie! You may not have eaten for days on end, but you will still hurl, no matter how hard you try to hold it down. however, if for some reason whatsoever you decide that you feel a spontaneous urge to throw up, go right ahead sicko! Watch Sweeny Todd. But Remeber, it's not called "Squeamish Todd!""
Depp was perfect!
"Perfect casting! Great voices! Beautiful music! I've watched the dvd version 4 times already and plan to purchase the soundtrack as well as the dvd... don't know why it took me so long to see this, but I'm glad I finally did (even with all the blood)"
Awesome
"Johnny Depp is a great actress in one of Tim Burton's movie and Alan Rickman is a great bad guy Actress in it and the sining is good to their characters pretty woman when Johnny and Alan did it...it became a great performance in the movie"
Blood !!
"Blood bloooodd!!!!!!!alot of blood.great movie though!"
Truly AWESOME!!!!
"this is already one of my favorite movies, its just brilliant. its couldn't have been done any better! nothing is more satisfying than a great range of musical numbers combined with over the top slasher gore. great combo for a fantastic film! i wasn't a big fan of Johnny Depp until i saw this film and oh my he's just psycho, terrific job man"
It's really not a horror movie!
"I don't know really understand why people says that it's a horror movie because I saw it and really isn't scary at all, only that I think the most disturbing scenes were when Sweeney kills Judge Turpin, and when he trows Mrs. Lovett in the fire. Although I think they all did an amazing job in the movie and Tim Burton it is the director a movie like that needs in the sense of liking that goth style in movies so it makes the movie a whole lot more interesting. I'm really going to buy it on April, 01."
good movie
"The acting was great. All the blood made me feel kinda sick, but other than that it was a very good movie."
Great!
"I truly liked this movie a lot. The singing,acting and everything else was amazing. I ending up seeing it twice. Just great,go see it,especially if your a Johnny Depp fan."
Almost better than pizza, sex and free money
"This movie was really really good. The cinematography pulls your eyes out of your head. The music wraps itself around you and vibrates your brain. Johnny Depp has more range than free range chickens. Sasha Baron Cohen is Borat on steroids. Alan Rickman is eviler than ever. We didn't know it was a musical, if we had, we might not have gone....boy are we glad we went.... My advice, go, prepare to be surprised, and even better, prepare to be enteratained!"
SWEENEY TODD IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!
"Sweeney Todd is my favorite movie. I have seen it five times, I plan to go see it again, and I also have the soundtrack and I listen to it all the time. I do recommend this movie for everyone. The acting was awesome(of course, with Johnny Depp what else can it be?). I loved the songs, this movie is just the best movie I ever saw. Though it does have a lot of blood and heads being cut off and stuff, so even though I do recommend it for everyone (especially horror movie lovers), this movie is not for the faint hearted, or those who cannot stand blood. Anyways, I LOVE this movie, I think it deserves to win an oscar, and I think YOU should go see it."
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