Sweeney Todd: The Demon of Fleet Street

Director Tim Burton’s screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 Grand Guignol musical is at once mesmerizing and disappointing. Outstanding singing performances from its gifted ensemble cast contrast unfavorably with Burton’s trademark affinity for a drab monochromatic color scheme of white, blue, brown and gray. Gallons of orange/red blood pour out beneath thankfully abbreviated songs performed in all-too-predictable orchestrations meant to cater to Broadway audiences familiar with the original Sondheim production. For such an idyllic gothic setting, Burton misses his cue to update the songs with reharmonized arrangements (including tempo and key changes) for a non-traditional orchestra that could have corrected the music’s tendency to slip into a drone of same-sounding tonality.

Rated R, 117 mins. (B) (Three Stars)