Film - Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Dir. Tim Burton)

So, it finally arrived after months and months of teasers and trailers and still photos. To say I was looking forward to this film would be a serious understatement. Frankly, anything that throws together the stellar talents of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp has me wishing I could time-travel, just to get to the release date. A partnership that worked so well on the likes of Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, to name but three, consistently produces the kind of cinematic fayre that always hits the spots lesser films never get near. It was no different with Sweeney Todd.

For the slightly less clued-up (and I continue to be surprised by the number of people that fall into that category), Sweeney Todd is based on the 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical, charting the bloody exploits of a London barber, Benjamin Barker, who has had his respectable and happy life taken away from him by the evil Judge Turpin, played here by the ever dependable Alan Rickman. Upon his return to London, Barker is now Sweeney Todd, a man sworn to exact revenge.

It's important that people should really be aware of the film's roots as a musical, as I was both surprised and amused by the number of people walking out of the film after about twenty minutes. Obviously, they were unaware that the film was based on a musical and, having seen the trailers were clearly expecting a bloodfest 'bloke movie'. Although far from being one for the die-hard West End musical connoisseur, the dialogue is at least seventy-five percent sung. Clearly, there were plenty of people who took their seats alongside me last night who were blissfully unaware of what they were about to watch. I've never seen so many guys in hoodies walk out of a cinema and I have to admit, it made me chuckle.

Anyway, more about the film. I can't think of the last time I saw Johnny Depp make a bad film, although admittedly public opinion was split on Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Love or hate that film, Depp's performance was of his usual high standard and he's gone up a gear here by adding singing to his list of talents. Not one for playing everyday characters, his on-screen partnership with Helena Bonham-Carter's Mrs Lovett is superbly played out. Bonham-Carter clearly revelled in the role of a slightly deranged woman, something she moved into easily after her previous role playing Bellatrix Lestrange in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2007. Depp and Bonham-Carter are more than ably supported by the likes of Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall (continuing the Harry Potter connection) and an impressive Sacha Baron Cohen.

The look of the film is consistent with Burton's previous work in the likes of Sleepy Hollow and Batman in it's dark and imposing settings, resulting in a sinister and atmospheric nineteenth century London that becomes as much a character in the film as Todd himself. Burton has a real eye for creating iconic moments in his films and there are plenty to chose from here. Whether it's the moment when Todd declares that 'my arm is complete again' while holding his spotless cut-throat blade in his outstretched hand or the scene when he rushes into the streets and dramatically announces his intentions to the citizens of London as they pass him by, these are undoubtedly moments that stay in the memory long after the credits have rolled.

One of the problems with bringing a musical to the screen is keeping an audience not typically used to musicals engaged during the singing. Of course, in live theatre, the actors are right there before you and the orchestra is even closer. While the softer songs are supported by Burton's direction, the more dramatic and complex numbers are superbly performed and the music, composed by Sondheim himself, compliments what is occuring on screen perfectly. With my only foray into the world of musicals being a trip to see The Producers at the theatre, I found myself really enjoying most of the songs in the film, my ears no doubt influenced by what my eyes were also taking in.

Friends who had seen this before me were telling me not to bother, that it was a let down and that they wished they'd known it was a musical. I'm one for making up my own mind, though, and there was no way I was going to miss this. Admittedly, it was going to have be pretty terrible for me not to like it. But it doesn't even come close to that. Aswell as my friends' 'reviews', I've heard some disparaging reports on the film in the press but I really think they do it a disservice. When you take the film as a whole, I really think it has been a huge success. The direction, the fantastic performances, Sondheim's brilliantly written songs and score - these all come together so well, resulting in a musical film that, for those prepared for it, is a real treat and a welcome distraction from the dirge of prequels, sequels and comic-book action films currently flooding the market.