Monday 28 January 2008

Sweeney Todd, hmm...

I wasn't impressed with Sweeney Todd. Maybe it's my own fault. I don't like many musicals but I thought the combination of Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham-Carter et al would do the trick and make the annoying enjoyable (and, yes, the songs were very annoying).

Most people will know the plot (I didn't) but suffice to say, I was not convinced that Depp conveyed enough madness to successfully portray a man who'd lost his wife – and was about to lose his daughter for good – and behaved so amorally as a result.

Take Hannibal Lecter. You admire him in some way. He is intelligent – fiercely so. And he snaps with humour that doesn't spring from softness. Hopkins's flashing eyes, his thin smile: a proper demon. But Depp? Well, his performance reminded me of Russell Brand, Captain Jack Sparrow, Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger and other glottally-stoppered folk who were simply in a terribly bad mood. He was flat, I thought. There was no menace there. I didn't like to look straight at the screen during the killing scenes but it wasn't through suspense, it was just that I don't like gore.

The film is literally colourless and the CGI made it flatter yet. London, referred to in the opening song (cringe) was wasted as a character. It's a gloomy film, left me wondering what all the fuss was about, and that was that. Average: C+. Could do better.

Anyway, en route to the cinema, S and I went into a tiny pub that was so small it was like being in someone's front room. A real fire burned. We had enough time to have a drink before Sweeney Todd started – a lovely forty minutes or so that helped to make the film worthwhile. And, on our way home, we both talked non-stop, agreeing with each other and with all of the above.

4 comments:

  1. hey mell, much as i love johnny depp i have no desire to see this, & your review has confirmed that it is all really quite annoying. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey lovely author lady NMJ... Yes, Sweeney Todd is rather annoying. Save your £10 (or £15 with popcorn!) and spend it on sommat less boring, is what I say...
    x

    ReplyDelete
  3. I won't be going to see this, much as I like the director and actors. I'm not keen on musicals but I work in the theatre industry where its almost a sackable offence to not love them. I was once supposed to be working backstage on a production of Sweeney Todd but after the second rehearsal, I couldn't take it anymore, so don't think I want to put myself through it again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Sanddancer, good to see you here. I can imagine it must be hard work to not like musicals being in that industry... I know people who love musicals and I have to bite my lip to not say what I really think when they rave about them.

    I enjoyed the first stage production of Chicago, though (Ute Lemper and Ruthie Henshall were fantastic). It impressed me as I went in expecting it to be so-so but was hit with slick and sassy stuff that blew away my preconceptions... until they were put back in place by Sweeney Todd!!

    ReplyDelete