Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again." Joining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies.

While I would call myself a big fan of Burton’s work, this one was a bit hit or miss with me. I absolutely loved the production style and set design of this film. The visual style is outstanding and the character work was some of the best of last year. The problem for me was the music. Musicals are very hit or miss with me and I didn’t connect with most of the songs in this one except for maybe one or two. And since this is largely a musical, it hurts the overall experience for me. While I still enjoyed it in the end, the replay value is a bit low for me.

Burton’s rich visual palette is delivered in striking form on Blu-ray. The drab London backdrop delivers sensational fine detail, contrast and inky blacks. The picture is almost devoid of color aside from the stark and rich reds of the rather profound use of blood in the film. There is evident CG touch up going on, but I noticed this in its theatrical run too. Depth of image is fantastic and the high contrast look really lends to the dimension of the image. Those of you with a high contrast display will love the way this one can look with solid black levels and great shadow detail.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and has a great balance of dynamic range and fine details. The musical selections sound really good in presence and balance and the soundstage opens up nicely thanks to the sound design and subtle atmospheric effects. Bass extension can go quite deep at times and lends to the ominous tones of the film but it is the quieter passages that shine with the great sense of space and atmosphere the surround soundstage provides. A very good mix on this one.

Paramount puts together a nice supplemental package including some great interviews with director Tim Burton and actors Depp and Carter. There are also quite a few production features that are all shown in HD and give an insight into the creation of the film and the history of the production. Theatrical trailers and a photo gallery are also included. Kudos to Paramount for continuing to bring their supplements to Blu-ray in full HD.

While I wouldn’t rank this as one of my favorite Burton films there is no denying the sensational production design and performances. Dreamworks has delivered an outstanding presentation and a solid supplemental package making this an easy recommendation for fans.