Without Johnny Depp this world would be lost and his role as Sweeney Todd had me convinced of that along with his other great roles such as; Edward Scissorhands, the Mad Hatter, John Dillinger, Jack Sparrow, Willy Wonka, and Mort Rainey just to name a few. As for his first time ever to sing or to do a musical for that matter was a risk he was willing to take and it's a damn good thing that he did.

Amen to that! Don't forget Cry Baby! *Grin*

Funny you should mention "Sweeney," Exiled, for some reason it came to mind just the other day. I'm truly amazed at how great (and dark) it is. Johnny Depp has never been better, and the art direction is wonderful.

I'm always struck by how all of the characters (except for the young lovers) are driven to commit such heinous acts, driven by various passions... revenge, lust, greed, etc, and all looking down on their victims as despicable.

One thing that's always bothered me was that I couldn't understand the words very well when Helena Bonham Carter sings! Also, I never notice when the boom mic is in the picture. I wonder if the mic holder is embarassed when that happens, or proud to be represented in screen (even if in such an ingnominious way)?

It's been a while since I saw that movie, but I remember it clearly as if I had just seen it.  It was great.  The scenery, the music, the characters, the theme.  I too enjoy how the characters are guided by their emotions, I think it shows how people are often driven to act.  The whole plot of revenge is great, and how even his revenge blinded him from seeing the world around him.  I enjoyed the moments of insanity, evil, and joy it all just works perfectly.  The moments that I enjoyed were the cockroaches, the singing, the insanity killings, the one time he couldn't kill someone because girlfriend was watching (sweeney's face seems to portray his disillusion and desperation towards killing).  I did not liked however the last scene where sweeney is killed by boy.  True insanity and revenge are present at that  scene, but somehow i just felt it wasn't in accordance to how everything just prior to that had occurred.  I think it would have been interesting to had seen Sweeney's total rage and insanity after realizing what he had just done to his beloved and how it seemed that fate played him for a fool.  Killing rampage perhaps?  A more contemplated dead of Sweeney? I don't know I just didn't like the ending (how Sweeney died) very much.