You could say I am a Tim Burton fan, his unique sensibilities and offbeat range of work appeals to the alternative side of me and whilst not all his films are amazing they are always worthwhile and interesting, a lot than can be said for many other filmmakers who trot our generic work year on year. For this latest collaboration with Johnny Depp he turns his attentions to Sweeny Todd, the darkly comic Stephen Sodenheim musical and adepts himself well. This is definitely Burton’s darkest work yet, even the likes of Sleepy Hollow pale in comparison but that is not such a bad thing.
The film, like the stage play, is in fact more of an opera than a musical with little of the film not rendered in song. While this may take a little getting used to it soon becomes normal and there is a generally great job done on all the songs by the very game cast, Johnny Depp in particular acquits himself admirable to the task at hand, his demented Sweeny Todd initially squeezing just enough sympathy from the audience before his true nature is revealed.
The gothic settings and period detail make this one of Burton’s most visually spectacular and stylised films. There is no realistic portrayal of 18th century London here, and there doesn’t need to be, the fantastical nature only heightens the mood. The film also doesn’t skimp on the gore, I consider myself fairly adapt at handling gore in film but some of the scenes here still made me flinch. By having the red of the blood be one of the few bright colours in the film Burton focuses the audience on it, the black humour is well preserved too, some of the deaths are so over the top they become slightly comical, whilst retaining their innate horror.
Helena Bonham Carter proves a decent foil for Depp, her Mrs Lovett is another rather terrible but sympathetic character, in fact the whole supporting cast does a great job be in Alan Rickman’s slimy Judge Turpin or Sacha Baron Cohen’s scene stealing performance as Pirelli, Depp’s rival barber.
However your enjoyment of the film will largely depend on your love of the material, it is fairly faithful to the musical by all account, and the style of story. Whilst I did enjoy it and found some sections to be brilliantly created, the overall darkness of tone and ruthless nature of the characters left me rather cold, there is no hero to root for and the tragic nature of the tale makes it one your are unlikely to want to revisit. Still these are issues like I said with the nature of the story rather than its execution on screen. The film also runs rather long and sags in places, a few songs could maybe have been cut and the side story involving a young boy and Judge Turpin’s daughter could definitely have been trimmed.
Still for a visual feast and some great performances this is definitely up there with Burton’s best films, but the lack of heart and soul cost the film in the end as all the death and destruction seem self-serving.
A fantastic adaptation that manages to combine the core of the play with Burton’s unique vision without compromising either. The top cast and some excellent scenes however are dampened by the callous nature of the story.
As previously established Michel Gondry is an odd fellow. His previous films Eternal Sunshine and the Science of Sleep have impressed me greatly (I haven’t seen Human Nature, which by all accounts is how it should be) and the premise for Be Kind Rewind intrigued me as well. In fact its refreshingly bonkers, the kind of surreal and idealistic idea you might pitch one day thinking it was funny, turning that into a fully fledged film however is another matter. By now I’m sure you know the premise, small time video shop on the brink of closure accidentally has all its videos erased, leaving the hapless Mod Def and Jack Black to re-create the films using their home video camera.
Naturally the making of these videos are the highlights of the film, Gondry’s low budget sensibilities and creativity are in full swing and he constantly manages to find hilarious ways to spoof and lovingly homage some classic and not so classic films. What is great about the film on the whole is its earnest goodness. There is barely a bad bone to be found in the film and its good natured humour is unlikely to produce full on laughs, but you will smile throughout. The story is oddly mixed, the back story of a jazz musician by the name of Fats Waller is tied up with the store and its owner, played with a sweet levity by Danny Glover. Whilst these threads of the plot seem disconnected at the start they are weaved in well to the video shenanigans to set up the films touching finale. In fact as much as the film is about creativity and expressing yourself, it is also about community and town spirit and the scenes of neighbourhood people getting involved in the films and helping out are moving, and bring back a lot of personal memories of my teenage years running around with a video camera and the bond that provides between friends.
Mos Def continues to impress after his turn in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, his earnest pained expressions are endearing and he has great comic timing, Jack Black is fairly unrestrained in the film and whilst his character easily comes across as obnoxious and annoying, he has just the right amount of empathy to traverse this and his manic energy is certainly infectious.
With all that said the film does have its flaws, the story is thin and the impending sense of doom over the fate of the shop never carries much weight. Outside the main characters as well there aren’t many memorable faces, Gondry keeps our investment at a distance, the entertaining humour at times masks the films lack of depth. But that is not what this film is about, as an ode to imagination and community spirit Be Kind Rewind is a success and one destined to warm your heart and put a smile on your face.
Another creative explosion from Gondry this is perhaps his slightest film yet, but his inventiveness and heartfelt message, along with some good performances, pull it through in the end. 
