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Johnny Depp has gained a reputation as one of the greatest actors in movies, not just for the quality of his performances but also for the variety of characters that he has played convincingly. He rarely plays the same character twice (with the most notable exception being Captain Jack Sparrow), and has worked with a variety of great directors, from Roman Polanski to Oliver Stone to Terry Gilliam to Jim Jarmusch.

The one director that Depp has worked for the most, however, is Tim Burton. Known as a great visual director whose movies tend to fall under a small range, Burton has directed such great movies as Beetle Juice and Batman, but also relative flops like Mars Attacks! and his remake of Planet of the Apes, and has worked with Depp five times previous to Sweeney Todd. Any worries about Depp reprising a role similar to his breakout performance as Edward Scissorhands (a similarity no doubt fostered by the fact that Depp appears is garish white makeup in both Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd) is assuaged within minutes after the opening credits have ended, with Depp being called upon to provide his voice for many of the movie's songs.

Although still very popular, Burton was in need of a hit, with his past few films (Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, and the aforementioned disastrous remake of Planet of the Apes) receiving varying degrees of praise and dissatisfaction, some felt that Burton had lost the touch that had made Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmas whimsical favorites among many moviegoers and critics. Sweeney Todd, however, not only regains some of the magic that Burton had supposedly lost, but is easily one of the best films that he has ever made.

To discuss Burton and/or Depp's previous works and credentials, however, is to do this movie a disservice. Every actor, from Depp to Helena Bonham Carter, from Alan Rickman to Sacha Baron Cohen, is at the top of their game, and the story and music (originally written for the stage by Stephen Sondheim) are executed nearly flawlessly. Sweeney Todd is not only a great musical, but possibly the best musical to come out this decade. Although it is much more violent than many musicals, the blood and gore is produced very artistically, rendering the constant throat slashing of Todd to be amazingly bloody and malicious, yet not particularly stomach turning. The dark, gothic presentation of London is note-perfect for the story and the characters, and the costumes, both ostentatious and subdued simultaneously, breathe life into an already great story. While those looking for a happy, lighthearted musical will be disappointed (and possibly shocked) by Sweeney Todd's dark story and anything-but-happy ending, those who can appreciate a musical with a little bit of an edge will be in for a treat.

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Copyright 2008 Benjamin Wood