I knew nothing about "Sweeney Todd", the former versions, the basic plot, not even what genre of movie it was - when I pressed "play" - and that's the best way often to watch a movie, especially in an age when you see a million scenes in previews hence feeling as if though you'd already seen the damned thing.
Anyway. ST is a sort of murder/drama with touches of romance even. It's an unusual story, nothing off-the-wall, of course, but with touches of originality. Parts of it are predictable, others aren't. Winstone is very convincing as the title character and this Essie Davis is very good, too, and very attractive. It was about time we see another beautiful British (well, Australian - same thing) woman on film, after a series of nepotistic uglies filthied the screen with their presence: the likes of Emma Thompson, Helena B. Carter, and several others. (Ironically, this Bonham creature plays the same character as Davis in Tim Burton's 2007 version, which must be crap.) Sweeney Todd is a complex murderer; not a psychopath at all (he feels love, remorse, has empathy), with motives only understandable to him. I found it a little odd that Davis would so quickly (after a night's sleep when she survives her disease) get used to the fact that Todd is a butcher and that she ate the meat of her own lovers through his deeds. But that's the only (slight) problem I can think of in an otherwise interesting movie. It might be a TV movie, but looks more like a theatrical release.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch Tim Burton's sing-a-long version of this story. It must be garbage.
Anyway. ST is a sort of murder/drama with touches of romance even. It's an unusual story, nothing off-the-wall, of course, but with touches of originality. Parts of it are predictable, others aren't. Winstone is very convincing as the title character and this Essie Davis is very good, too, and very attractive. It was about time we see another beautiful British (well, Australian - same thing) woman on film, after a series of nepotistic uglies filthied the screen with their presence: the likes of Emma Thompson, Helena B. Carter, and several others. (Ironically, this Bonham creature plays the same character as Davis in Tim Burton's 2007 version, which must be crap.) Sweeney Todd is a complex murderer; not a psychopath at all (he feels love, remorse, has empathy), with motives only understandable to him. I found it a little odd that Davis would so quickly (after a night's sleep when she survives her disease) get used to the fact that Todd is a butcher and that she ate the meat of her own lovers through his deeds. But that's the only (slight) problem I can think of in an otherwise interesting movie. It might be a TV movie, but looks more like a theatrical release.
I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch Tim Burton's sing-a-long version of this story. It must be garbage.