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Crochity
Crochity's stats
- Review count3
- Helpfulness votes2
- First reviewJanuary 14, 2008
- Last reviewNovember 7, 2010
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4.7
Crochity's Reviews
Overall rating
4
/
5
Tired premise, great performances
PostedNovember 7, 2010
Crochity
from Atlanta, GA
...meaning, Will Ferrell. Not a laugh fest, but definitely not a movie you'll have regretted seeing. Enjoyable matinee fare.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Great comics adaptation
PostedMay 17, 2008
Crochity
from Atlanta, GA
Excellent adaptation of the comic book series, with the added bonus of Robert Downey Jr.'s endless wit and quick comebacks. The exposition of how Iron Man came to be was a bit long, and the final battle a bit short, but all in all a great time at the movies.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
A triumph
PostedJanuary 14, 2008
Crochity
from Atlanta, GA
Sweeney Todd is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. There aren't many shades of gray here--some will "get it" and some won't. Those expecting Pirates of the Caribbean (as some of the people who walked out of this movie clearly did) will be disappointed. Fans of musical theatre that think Cats or Annie is high art will probably be disappointed as well.
Unless, that is, one can appreciate the sheer beauty of this work from the musical theatre's greatest composer, Stephen Sondheim. The story is unarguably gruesome. However, this is not a documentary about a deranged killer nor a fun horror film. Rather, Sweeney Todd is a macabre morality tale about vengeance: how poisonous it can be to the soul and how a quest for revenge never accomplishes its goal.
This musical is normally staged in a minimalist fashion. The original Broadway production featured sparse, multi-purpose portable sets. Multiple scenes were often presented side-by-side on stage without physical separation. The current revival production is so minimalist that the "orchestra" is comprised of cast members playing on-stage instead of in an orchestra pit. Tim Burton manages to avoid making the Big Hollywood Movie and magically captures that minimalism on-screen. He even manages to make Victorian London seem insulated and intimate.
The true surprise for me was the depth of Johnny Depp's performance. The title role has been performed on stage by some of the greatest baritones of the stage including Len Cariou and George Hearn. The main character has been normally been presented as an imposing larger-than-life monster. Depp is obviously not a baritone and not an overwhelming hulk of a man--instead, Depp fashions Sweeney as a schemer, drifting in and out of the shadows, first angry at the injustices of life and then driven to madness. And, as a tenor.
The songs are amongst Sondheim's best. Indeed, when Barbra Streisand recorded her first Broadway album over 20 years ago it featured two ballads from this musical: "Pretty Women" and "Not While I'm Around." Many of the songs are difficult, tongue-twisting wordplay that are more comical than horrific, like "Have a Little Priest" and "The Worst Pies in London." These last two songs point out the only true weakness in the film, Helena Bonham Carter. Although she manages to get the words out, she never quite makes the part her own. The original Mrs. Lovett was played by Angela Lansbury as a loud, crude Eastender whose devil-may-care attitude helps to shove Sweeney into insanity. Bonham's Mrs. Lovett is deferential and meek and seemingly without the motivation to descend with and join Sweeney in his madness.
Sasha Baron Cohen ("Borat") is another surprise. His over-the-top performance as Signor Pirelli is short-lived, but memorable. Who knew Ali G. could sing?
Alan Rickman has always had to fight stereotyping in movie roles and this film is no different--he turns in a great performance, but in one scene in particular with Timothy Spall, it's hard to imagine that it is Judge Turpin and Beadle Bamford singing and not Severus Snape and Wormtail.
One of the greatest themes of this story is the dichotomy in the lives of Sweeney and Toby, an orphan boy. Both are forced to live unacceptable lives, but where Sweeney is at first successful and happy before falling prey to life, Toby has never known otherwise. He is first an orphan, then forced into a workhouse, and finally beaten into submission by his adopted master, Pirelli. Both end up mad and both for the same reason: revenge. Toby is masterfully played by Ed Sanders, an incredibly talented young man whose performance is spot on perfect.
Rounding out the cast are two newcomers in the roles of the star-crossed lovers, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jayne Wisener. Both are talented singers and both turn in a great performance, but sadly you'll forget who they are minutes after leaving the theater.
Sweeney Todd is one of those rare films where I expected the worst and was pleasantly surprised. I can't recommend this movie enough to people that aren't predisposed to hating Broadway musicals, and that can see past the movie gore that masks a complex tale of greed, lust, and a mad quest for revenge. This movie is a triumph.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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