What if Burton had made a third Batman...

[johnnygobbs]

However, as far as Burton's recent record goes I'm curious as to why you don't seem to care for 'Sweeney Todd' Silver.  I thought the film was an unequivocal success both from a technical standpoint and as a truly affecting and powerful musical-tragedy, and was one of those rare occasions were Depp and Bonham Carter were almost uncannily perfect for their parts (admittedly Depp is physically too weedy to play the 'definitive' Todd but in all other respects he was an excellent fit).  Bonham Carter in particular was touching as a woman who enables Todd in his fated quest for revenge out of an unrequited longing for her partner-in-crime and all those quibbles about her singing voice lacking classical training seem churlish in view of the raw emotion she brought to the songs.

Oh, I'm sure it is a good movie. It's got an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and it won an Academy Award for art direction. And I'm sure everything you say about it is true. It's just not my cup of tea.

I feel that Burton's influence on the film is purely cosmetic. Since he was adapting a stage musical, I'd imagine he had less scope to reinterpret the source material according to his own creative tastes. Consequently it's a movie anyone could have directed. The only distinctly 'Burtonish' elements were the visuals. It doesn't have the uniquely personal resonance of something like Big Fish or Edward Scissorhands.

This is a problem I have with a lot of Burton's recent films. His signature style has been reduced to a superficial aesthetic. His latest films don't display any of the ideas or substance that characterised his earlier work. Not unless it's stuff he's repeating from his older films. I just want him to try something new, to take on new genres, to push himself and work with new people. He could still have a lot to offer audiences. But in recent years it feels like he's stagnated, playing it safe and offering us the same thing over and over.

But Sweeney Todd is certainly one of his better 21st century offerings. It is a good film. It's just not to my tastes. I used to own the DVD, but I donated it to a charity shop earlier this year (my DVD of The Corpse Bride met the same fate).

Apart from the (superb) visuals, 'Sweeney Todd' features many themes that are prevalent throughout most of Burton's filmography and presumably close to his heart: the damaged outsider, the unrequited romance (see 'Batman Returns' and 'Edward Scissorhands' too of his best films and among his most personal), marginalised and oppressed members of society conspiring to bring down the elite who have 'wronged' them (Sweeney and Miss Lovett could almost be the Penguin and Catwoman) and misguided obsession that threatens to destroy its protagonists' opportunity for a normal happy life (once again look at 'Batman' and even 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory').

I know one's fondness for this film will depend on personal taste.  Although you haven't cited this factor yourself but I know people who have given this movie a wide berth purely because they hate musicals (and nevertheless admitting that they'd probably admire the film in all other respects were it not for this particular sticking point).  Luckily for me, I've always loved music-orientated movies, including musicals.  A great soundtrack is a big deal for me and has often swayed my overall feelings towards a movie.  Still, apart form the music and the visuals there's a great deal of more 'substantial' factors to recommend the film, I do think it amounts to a very personal addition to Burton's canon and I can't imagine another filmmaker who would have been more ideally suited to the material.