By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Paramount Pictures
Sweeney Todd
You know a film is truly a musical when, though you've seen it in theaters already, are still shocked by how much song takes place in it. This certainly holds true for Sweeney Todd, which not-so-delicately combines black, grey, song and blood.
DVD Review: Sweeney Todd
I got the 2 Disc Special Edition of Sweeney Todd, which comes nicely wrapped in a case made up of Todd's infamous shaving blades. It's a great cover, which saddened me when I threw it away; I've learned long ago that keeping the cardboard covers on DVDs means way less space to hold them all. Once I got through the security seals I popped the DVD into my HD DVD player out of curiosity on how well this film upconverts. With only three real tones -- black, grey and red -- the image quality could have gone either way.
And it does. Some scenes in 1080i look absolutely magnificent. Though gritty, the picture's highlights seem to glow off the black. I was troubled, however, to find other segments not taking advantage of their new, HD resolution. Fortunately it is the characters that steal away from the scenery, and they always seem to stand out.
Having enjoyed Sweeney Todd in theaters I was glad to see that I liked the film just as much on DVD. Can't say it's the biggest heartwarmer I've ever seen or anything you want to put on in front of the extended family, but it should do well with fans of Depp, Burton or, like me, find the duo's work to be damn near perfection.
Moving on to the extra features, the special edition offers tons of minutes in terms of featurettes and behind the scenes. If you are curious about the story's origins, you will find some history in the extras as well. Being most impressed with Burton's ability to create a dark and gritty London, I was happy to see that there were at least two segments that spent time discussing the sets and special effects that went into making a convincing city.
In the end you got Depp, you have classic Burton, and, for kicks, a ton of blood. That alone earns this DVD a spot on your DVD shelf.
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