by Lori Crawford

Created on: December 19, 2007

Like many, I was highly anticipating the release of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street this Christmas. The trailer looked amazing. And Johnny Depp iswellJohnny Depp. Having no previous knowledge of Sweeney Todd, I was eager to sit back and enjoy the film. And that's what I did at an advance screening last night.

Mr. Depp didn't disappoint. He was the epitome of Sweeney Todd. Dark and dastardly from the opening scene. Helena Bonham Carter was incredible as Mrs. Lovett. She and Todd looked like they belonged together.

There's not much to say about Alan Rickman's portrayal as Judge Turpin. He was magnificently creepy as expected. Very reminiscent of his Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Sacha Baron Cohen was a delight as Signor Pirelli. He stole every scene he had. I just wish he had more.

With all these stars rounding out the cast, how could you expect anything less than a perfect film? Unfortunately, that's exactly what you get.

It's very easy to get lost in the excellent visuals created by Mr. Burton. However, the story left quite a bit to be desired. I can't with any authority blame the writer, John Logan, because what's on the page, doesn't always make it to the stage and I didn't stay for his Q&A afterward.

What I can say is that there were many logical missteps that tore tiny holes in the plot. They weren't immediately obvious, but it was enough that your subconscious is like "What was that?"

I don't want to give away any spoilers so I'll try to stay general. The subplot felt a bit forced, but it did its job in reuniting a couple of the characters. But there was no emotional payoff because neither ever learned who the other was.

Perhaps if I were more familiar with the story, I'd have understood the more subtle nuances such as the scene where Todd and Mrs. Lovett hatch their plan. And maybe the initial showdown between Signor Pirelli and Todd wouldn't have struck such a discord because Pirelli is introduced as selling a product that does the opposite of what his supposed talent is.

As for Todd's and Mrs. Lovett's supposed partnership, how in the world did they pull that off? After doing what they did, how did their product get better instead of worse? I understand that it was bad to begin with, but their improvement was quite disgusting. Unless the reason it was bad at first was the absence of the improvement. Except, it's not set up that way. From the beginning, it was the product itself that was horrible. Sorry. I can't be more specific without spoilers.

There are other things that were a bit off. Judging by the amount of people who walked out between the credits and Q&A, I don't think I'm completely alone in my assessment. But enough of that. Let me take a moment to report what was firing on all cylinders.

The sequence in the middle where Mrs. Lovett shares what she wants is amazing. It's sweet and heartfelt and you will completely understand why she did what she did in regards to Todd. It also foreshadows her end.

Ed Sanders who plays an orphan boy steals the show when he sings to Mrs. Lovett toward the end. With every fiber of his being you can see that the end of the movie is inevitable. He's a pleasure to watch in every scene he has.

The end of the movie was a joy to watch after the final reveal. Mr. Depp and Ms. Carter pulled out all the stops in their final moments together.

All in all, while I can't wholeheartedly recommend this movie, it does have its wonderful moments. If you're game, I invite you to see for yourself.

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