lolwut

[pauraque_bk]

I just watched the recent Sweeney Todd movie. I can't say I'm disappointed because I didn't expect it to be good, but um... jeez. Was anyone but Sacha Baron Cohen even trying? I include Tim Burton in this question.

The only good thing I can say about it is that I can easily imagine someone not previously familiar with the play realizing there was, somewhere in there, a work of musical genius, and be motivated to seek it out.

Did people in fandom like it? I didn't read any LJ posts about it at the time because I wanted to see it first, but never got around to it until now.

Comments

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Well, *I* enjoyed it. Was familiar with the OBC recording but had not seen it performed on stage. Immediately swiped Jamie Campbell Bower for a casting in an ongoing freeform RP I do with a friend. Giggled over the Death Eater Reunion aspects of the casting. Jaw DROPPED at some of the slashgoggles moments (Alan Rickman, did you REALLY just say that?). Was pleasantly enough surprised by Johnny Depp's passable voice that I was willing to forgive HBC's weak one. Suppressed my muttering about "dammit she is wearing her underwear on the outside" with her corsets. Liked the overall look.

I mean, it's a movie, not Broadway, and I was pleased enough.

[pauraque]

Oh I forgive everybody's voices. They're not singers. But they ARE actors and I felt the acting was very wooden. Maybe they put too much energy into the singing. I realize it can be very hard to translate the broader acting of a play into the necessarily smaller acting of film, but for me what they were doing just didn't work.

I didn't actually like the look, I felt it was kind of old and predictable. Nothing there I hadn't seen in Tim Burton movies from many years ago (and I do like Tim Burton usually).

I'm glad you enjoyed it though! I wished I had, I think it must be possible to make a better movie out of that material.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, I went in expecting it to Look Like A Tim Burton Movie, and was thus well pleased when it did. Your "tired and predictable" is my "comfortingly predictable."

...I also like series mysteries.

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Here's what I said at the time:

http://bethbethbeth.livejournal.com/481512.html

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

It's hard for me to not like Sweeney Todd in any incarnation I've seen it in since it's my favorite, but the best the movie had to offer was the parts that were the play, if that makes sense. I didn't really like the Tim Burton-ness of it. It sort of...took out some of the power to have that aesthetic he has. I did like Toby, though.

But I saw it with two people who didn't know it at all and were blown away by it because of the story. So I would say that unfamiliar people can tell there's a work of genius there. I was so happy when they had that reaction.

[skywaterblue.livejournal.com]

I remember it being vaguely better than expected, but I expect very little from Tim Burton so...

[nauticalterms.livejournal.com]

OMG I loooooooooved Sweeney Todd! Johnny was amazing, ok. He WAS. Helena Bonham Carter was also amazing. Johnny was amazing in the singing, and Helena was good. Alan is not a singer, but he did well. I can't believe anyone can say that the acting was less then awesome.

I liked that they completely re-created the story in order to fit a different medium. It was not a play on film, it was a movie.

[(Anonymous)]

"The only good thing I can say about it is that I can easily imagine someone not previously familiar with the play realizing there was, somewhere in there, a work of musical genius, and be motivated to seek it out."

That was exactly me and now I love the musical. :)

And, I wasn't expecting the movie to be like a musical; I sat down in the theatre wanting to like it and be intrigued with the cinematography and Johnny Depp's voice but it proved to me that Burton is a one trick pony.

-Rab