First post and review: Sweeney Todd

First and foremost, thank you to anyone who is actually willing to give their time to read this. I feel that many review sites around the internet are too focused on a single area of entertainment, and thus a wider range of interests are needed under a single roof. My goal is to review many different forms of entertainment, from films to video games, from the point of view of your average college student, aka one of the main consumers of this type of media. I will do my best to review everything on an even basis, always out of a score of 10, with 10 being perfect and 1 being abysmal.

My first review is something of a sneak preview for the rest of the world. I was given a sneak peek of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" this past weekend, a film which I have been looking forward to for some time. Bear in mind that I have never seen a stage performance of "Sweeney Todd", so my review is purely from the point of view of the film. Simply put, if you are a fan of either Johnny Depp or Tim Burton, you're in for a treat. If not, still, go see this film as soon as it is released.

Sweeney Todd tells the tale of a man seeking revenge for the life stolen from him fifteen years beforehand, and the madness that ensues in his quest for vengeance. From the previews released for the film, I have heard a few complaints from "Sweeney Todd" purists, or as I call them "Sweenists", that there was no way Johnny Depp could enact and sing the role. Do not fret, for he does a superb job in the role, and while it is slightly reminiscent of Jack Sparrow at times (especially when you see him on a ship during the first scene of the film), the way he portrays the torn character that is Sweeney Todd is brilliant. Oh, and his singing isn't bad either. Fangirls are sure to swoon over him even more.

The character of Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter, was a very interesting role to view, and Carter gave her a great deal of vivid motion as well as a wonderful voice. The one problem I had with her was she actually reminded me quite a bit of another character dealing with a psychopathic killer; Harley Quinn from Batman. I very much saw her obsession with Sweeney Todd (who she affectionately calls Mr. T, Harley calls the Joker Mr. J) in the same supportive manor as the odd Harley/Joker relationship. Of the two main characters, Mrs. Lovett actually seems to be the more wicked of the two; in reality, it is she who drives Sweeney to all of the horrible deeds he does, giving him a place to commit his dirty work as well as placing evil thoughts within his mind about "Meat Pies"...see the movie, you'll know what I mean.

Sacha Baron Cohen, in a blue tight spandex-ish outfit, singing with a fake Italian accent. I dont need to say anything more, its simply amazing.

The film is a cinematic feast, full of brilliant imagery and very interesting use of computer to convey a darker, more sinful London than one would ever imagine. Filled with dark blue hues for the majority of the film, there is never a moment where one does not sense the lust and evil intent oozing out from the characters through their voices and actions. The music of the film easily matches if not surpasses the look of the film, with Carter and Depp leading the way. The most disappointing parts of the film were focused mainly around Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin, and while not at all a bad performance by any means, he comes off more as the creepy old lecher from down the road than a true villain.

The best part of the film comes during the song "By The Sea", a brilliantly shot sequence that is drastically different from the rest of the film and also had parts of the audience in stitches from the hilarious imagery on screen. I wont ruin it for anyone, but any Depp fan will have a ball during that sequence. Overall, "Sweeney Todd" is a brilliantly shot film, wonderfully acted and keeps one interested from beginning to end.

Final: 9.0 out of 10. A visual feast with brilliant shooting, costume design and lighting, but from time to time is just the slightest bit overdone and has a few portions that seem unnecessary, but this is sure to be one of the best films of the holiday season.