Sweeney Todd
By John • Feb 22nd, 2008 • Category: 2 Stars, Crime, Drama, ThrillerIf it weren’t for Johnny Depp’s nomination for the Oscars, I wouldn’t have watched this movie. Nothing against the Burton/Depp pairing, I’ve actually liked their work together, but I’ve had enough of musicals. After Once, I don’t think any other musicals will compare.
The problem with songs in movies is that I don’t understand what they’re about most of the time, which is not good for understanding the story. That’s true for this movie as well. Depp is not a bad singer at all, his performance is actually not bad. I don’t think he deserved the Oscar, or at least I wasn’t touched by his performance.
However the main problem is that I had no idea why he killed all those people. That didn’t help with his revenge, we don’t even know these people. That montage of all those killings didn’t seem to have any motivation except that it was the premise of the story.
On top of that I also didn’t understand some of the dialogs, their accents were way too thick (especially Helena Bonham-Carter). I guess it’s realistic since they’re supposed to be in London, but I am also supposed to understand them and follow the story.
I guess what I did like was the ending, there was no other ending for this type of story, but I liked it and it at least made sense. Unlike the rest of the movie.
To me this movie failed both as a musical and as a story. Depp’s performance was ok, I just didn’t feel it.
Rating: 2 Stars
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