I'm in the minority here though, this musical is beloved by many people, and at first glance it seems like Burton did a nice job of adapting the musical to screen. I love me some Alan Rickman, but when he breaks out into song at the barbershop, it feels pretty dang awkward. It's also worth noting that because this film does have a fair amount of dialogue as well, the transitions to song weren't as smooth as they could have been. Perhaps, if I were into the story a little bit more and cared about what the characters were doing, I would have gotten into the songs they were singing. For as much bad as we see Todd do, it just would have been nice to have some material balance it out the other way.Īs for the musical aspects go, it's pretty paint by numbers. The wrongs that were done to him and his family are bad, but again, it wasn't like we see a lot of this on screen, we are told about it. I never once felt attached to this character or really cared at all. Sure, he begins as a normal man starting a life with his wife and daughter, but this is done in a brief flashback. In my opinion, there is no real character arc for Todd.

To have a cohesive character arc, you need obstacles or just something significant a character goes through so that the ending feels justified and earned. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was one of those musicals, but sadly I don't think it lived up to the hype for me. Much like Westerns, they are rare to come by these days so I'm always down to go back and check out one that I hadn't previously seen.

When musicals are done right, I'll be one of the first in line to see them. Do serial kills start singing after they murder their victims? Most likely not, but Sweeney Todd tackles that very premise as Tim Burton directs his bloodiest film to date.

Sweeney todd 2007 full movie