Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a musical tale brought to the big screen. Often a task that goes unnoticed by the viewing audience, but not so for Mr. Todd. This musical flick is a hit, does not hurt when you have the talented Mr. Depp. That is Johnny Depp as Sweeny Todd, a. k. a. Benjamin Barker, a resident of London who left many years ago after loosing his loved ones. Upon his return he seeks revenge on anyone and everyone. His sinister barber shop is set up in cohorts with his fellow tenant Ms. Lovett, who runs the meat pie shop below.

The setting for this film from the beginning is damned and doomed. You can see the despair of all the characters. Mr. Todd returns to his old stomping grounds and soon finds himself determined to cause havoc. He must find a way to do this in secrecy. On a stroll about town he enters into a shaving competition and finds himself the winner. When the crowd watches in amazement of his talents they soon want shaves too. Once his barber shop is open he sets up an elaborate barber chair, complete with sharp blades.

The film stayed true to the musical. When the film began I found myself concerned that it would not be appealing to the viewing audience, but those fears were put to rest when the storyline kicked into high gear quickly. Helena Bonham Carter had a stunning performance as Ms. Lovett, and Johnny Depp again proved his versatility in a musical. This film was rather gruesome, which would be my only complaint. But I found it needed to be filmed this way to show the angst Mr. Todd felt. Even with the cringes caused while watching Mr. Todd slicing and dicing I could not help watching, I found myself more intrigued with every new victim. Another great Broadway hit brought to life on the big screen. One word sums this up. Bravo!

Review By: Jolene Mendez