Sweeney Todd
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I saw it. It's a good movie. Not a particularly good Sweeney Todd, but good for a movie. I'm a big fan of the musical, so I was a little disappointed by some of the cuts, and wish that both Depp and Carter were better singers. They sing well enough that you can really enjoy it if you're not being critical, but not well enough to be beyond deserving criticism.
(Bad, Neither, and Good are as compared to the stage version. As Sweeney Todd is one of the best stage musicals there is, not being a great Sweeney Todd doesn't mean it's not a good movie.)
Bad : The leads' singing voices (but not too bad). The love relationship between two supporting characters was cut as much as possible while still having Sweeney's story make sense, making those characters feel ridiculously one-dimensional. Songs with a chorus part have had the chorus part cut (probably because everyone singing in unison is one of the things that makes musicals seem silly), even when the part is needed musically or dramatically.
Neither : Alan Rickman's character had a really awesome character-developing song cut, but had several scenes written for the movie that developed his character in a different direction.
Good : The relationship between Mrs. Lovett and the boy was better than in the play. The song "By The Sea" worked better than in the play. Burton's visual direction was good, and the chair design was great.
All in all, I hope you go see it. I can't help but compare to the stage version, but people going into it without knowing its source seem to like it a lot, as you can see looking at IMDB or Metacritic ratings. Many reviewers already discussing what Academy Awards it may be up for (and whether its graphic nature may be a disadvantage at the Academy).
If you see it and like it, check out "Sweeney Todd in Concert." Performance-wise it is much better than the movie and it doesn't suffer from the cuts or occasional pacing issues in the movie, but the set and props are minimal and there's a full orchestra on stage, which can seem a little weird. But after you'd seen the movie, you'll be able to follow what's happening even with the minimal sets and props.
(Bad, Neither, and Good are as compared to the stage version. As Sweeney Todd is one of the best stage musicals there is, not being a great Sweeney Todd doesn't mean it's not a good movie.)
Bad : The leads' singing voices (but not too bad). The love relationship between two supporting characters was cut as much as possible while still having Sweeney's story make sense, making those characters feel ridiculously one-dimensional. Songs with a chorus part have had the chorus part cut (probably because everyone singing in unison is one of the things that makes musicals seem silly), even when the part is needed musically or dramatically.
Neither : Alan Rickman's character had a really awesome character-developing song cut, but had several scenes written for the movie that developed his character in a different direction.
Good : The relationship between Mrs. Lovett and the boy was better than in the play. The song "By The Sea" worked better than in the play. Burton's visual direction was good, and the chair design was great.
All in all, I hope you go see it. I can't help but compare to the stage version, but people going into it without knowing its source seem to like it a lot, as you can see looking at IMDB or Metacritic ratings. Many reviewers already discussing what Academy Awards it may be up for (and whether its graphic nature may be a disadvantage at the Academy).
If you see it and like it, check out "Sweeney Todd in Concert." Performance-wise it is much better than the movie and it doesn't suffer from the cuts or occasional pacing issues in the movie, but the set and props are minimal and there's a full orchestra on stage, which can seem a little weird. But after you'd seen the movie, you'll be able to follow what's happening even with the minimal sets and props.
Saw it and loved it. Probably my favorite Burton film, definitely my favorite film musical, and one of my favorite movies this year. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Can't recommend it enough.
Acting, story, music, and particularly the amazing art direction really set it apart.
Unfortunately I haven't seen the stage version so I can't compare, but on it's own it is an amazing film.
Acting, story, music, and particularly the amazing art direction really set it apart.
Unfortunately I haven't seen the stage version so I can't compare, but on it's own it is an amazing film.
Eejit
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Films are a very different medium than a musical. I read the Depp/Burton interview in last month's Empire and they explained a lot of reasoning behind all the cuts and changes, they sounded necessary to me.
Of course film is different a different beast. Some things are better in the movie that they've ever been, like HBC really being able to emote during one of the other character's main songs. She literally stole that scene with the moments she was being sung to, rather than those where she was singing are talking. That can't happen on stage, at least not so subtly. 'By The Sea' was another big improvement, though if you haven't see it I won't say why, but it wouldn't work on stage. Some things, like the Judge character, are well done on stage and screen even though they're done differently. I actually don't understand why the judge's scenes were rewritten, but it worked and Alan Rickman is great.
There are, however, undeniably things that changed for the worse. A few didn't really need the change at all, and a few could have been done better. Foremost among these were the complete nerfing of Anthony and Joanna's parts. They didn't get much development on stage, but it was enough to make them work as secondary characters. The movie cut absolutely everything about them that wasn't immediately necessary to Sweeney's plot, leading to the first time you see the two characters without a wall between then, they're running off to elope (and Joanna has a painfully bad line in that scene, too). Honestly, those characters were always pretty much just a plot device (well, and a foil to Todd/Lovett), but the movie does nothing to hide the fact that they're just a plot device. Given how it was done in on stage, I can understand the cut. What I don't get it why it wasn't replaced with something else to fix what the cuts broke.
Septih
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I was going to be in a school production of this back when i was 12 but it fell through, I was cast as the judge and had learnt all my lines 
Forgotten most of it now but am looking forward to seeing this, might also check out a stage performance too seeing as you speak so highly of it Qhartb
Forgotten most of it now but am looking forward to seeing this, might also check out a stage performance too seeing as you speak so highly of it Qhartb
Ennui
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All I knew about it walking into the theater was that it was a Tim Burton movie starring Depp and HBC about a barber who was pissed about something. I didn't really have expectations but I was hoping it'd be good because I love Johnny Depp and Tim Burton.
It was. It was amazing. One of the best movies I've ever seen, at least in terms of production.
It was. It was amazing. One of the best movies I've ever seen, at least in terms of production.
VictimOfScience
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Ugh, finally saw this one and I absolutely loved it. I love the musical too, but Burton's style is so beloved by me that he could do just about anything and it would at least be a wonder to behold. Yes, very graphic, but yes, it was in a darkly humorous way, just how Burton likes it. Jarring to have some incredibly good unknown little singer/actor typoes in there esp. while the serious actor types can't sing all that well, but they all did a fine job for a film version of the piece. 8.5/10 for me.
