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It was lovely to see such high profile actors singing so well.

'Sweeney Todd' (18) is an urban legend based on love, hate and betrayal set in Victorian London. The classic gothic style of Tim Burton makes it a perfect musical melodrama. It is closely based on the musical by Steven Sondheim.

Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp) is living a simple life as a barber with his wife Lucy and his daughter Johanna (Jayne Wisener) when the lust of a judge (Alan Rickman) throws all of their lives into chaos. The judge has Benjamin Barker deported to Australia, and it is many years later that he returns to England, under the pseudonym Sweeney Todd with revenge in his heart. He wishes to reclaim his family and punish the judge and the society who destroyed it. With the help of Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), a pie shop owner who had known Sweeney and his family all of those years ago, Sweeney goes about seeking vengeance and reaping the benefits of that bloody journey. Mrs Lovett had always held a place in her heart for Benjamin Barker and when he returns to her as Sweeney Todd she is still as enamoured as ever. While Mrs Lovett dreams of a new life with Sweeney Todd he can only see revenge. His desire for which is so strong it drives him into a crazed blood lust and threatens to keep him from the innocent daughter he is dreaming of seeing again.

I was very excited to hear that Sondheim and Burton were collectively involved in bringing Sweeney Todd to our cinema screens, however, there seemed to be something missing from the film. I love the energy in Sondheim's music but it was often lost on the film version and in fact the first half felt rather slow-paced. The up-tempo numbers such as 'Worst Pies in London' and 'Little Priest' just didn't have the contrast needed to lift the spirits. However, the numbers 'Pretty Women' and 'By the Sea' were just splendid. It was lovely to see such high profile actors singing so well.

I thought that the casting of Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron was excellent. It was a shame though that some classic numbers were missed out of the film such as the story-telling element of 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd' and the Judge's song 'Johanna.'

Overall, a very entertaining night out at Burton's Cineworld, but missing a few too many things for a Sondheim fan.

 7/10 (Depp looked too much like Edward Scissorhands)

Tags: cinema cineworld Burton on Trent, sweeney todd film review