Spontaneous Musings

My problem with it is not so much the fact that it's a reinterpretation but that Burton decided to cut crucial plot elements, one in particular of which basically unravels one of the key emotional threads of the story. Sondheim's play is a thriller and a complex tragedy involving a fascinating central anti-hero. Burton's film is a horror movie set to music, and that is all. Any bit of nuance or subtlety is out the window, as is any depth, emotional or otherwise. Rent had many song cuts, as well, but I wasn't as upset by those, because it still captured the spirit of the play beautifully. Burton's Sweeney Todd is almost unrecognizable from the original, besides whatever is left from the chopped-to-bits score.