Tim Burton has already demonstrated his interest in the unusual and macabre, so he was the perfect choice to film this dark tale of the Demon Barber’s revenge against those who wronged him. In his filmed version of the Broadway play, Burton paints a dark canvas, making the Dickensian streets of London look exceedingly dismal. The only bright color in the film is the blood—and oh, there is a lot of blood. Don’t see this if the sight of blood disturbs you. In a nod to the Coen Brother’s famous wood-chipper scene in Fargo, Burton even shows us Mr. Lovett’s mincer as it churns out the main ingredient in her meat pies. A sight we were spared in the stage version. Johnny Depp is outstanding as Sweeney Todd. Of course his acting is brilliant—with Depp that’s a given—but who knew that he could also sing? And Burton’s wife, Helena Bonham Carter is equally marvelous as Mrs. Lovett, the maker of the "worst pies in London." Both Carter and Depp received Golden Globe nominations. Alan Rickman’s Judge Turpin is sufficiently malevolent to warrant his fate, and Timothy Spall, playing the Judge’s partner in wickedness, Beadle Bamford, is wonderfully disgusting. What little humor there is in the story comes primarily in the lyrics, and with the cockney accents, you may find some of them a bit difficult to understand. (For this reason, Gary gave the film a grade of B.) But, if you’re a fan of the musical, and an admirer of Johnny Depp, by all means give Sweeney Todd a look. I give it an enthusiastic B+. GRADE B+/B