Director Tim Burton is a natural for this Gothic tale that’s a throwback to classic horror films and towers high above the current horror craze. Sweeney Todd has a story filled with realistic characters driven by believable motivations, and the gruesomeness derives naturally from the story. It’s not just an excuse, like so much modern movie fodder, to create ways to torture and kill bodies. The film is also is a morality play, showing the destructive power of revenge.

Sondheim’s music and score rank as some of the best work he has ever done. They are very compelling and it’s no surprise that some productions have presented the musical as an opera. The talented cast of actors, who are not known for their singing, do a terrific job tackling songs with difficult harmonies and phrasing.

Aside from the film, disc one contains the special feature “Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd,” with the cast and crew discussing the project. The Special Edition contains a second disc chock full of extras for fans of the movie and its subject matter. There is a 20-minute press conference from 2007 with the usual idiot questions from the press; “Sweeney Is Alive: The Real History of The Demon Barber” presents a historical look at the character; “Musical Mayhem: Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd” is a very good feature with Sondheim talking about the origin of the musical; “Sweeney’s London” looks at 18th and 19th century London; “The Making of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is similar to “Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd” without a lot of repetition; “Designs for a Demon Barber” features costume designer Colleen Atwood who received an Oscar nomination for her work, and production designer Dante Ferretti and set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo, whose work won; “A Bloody Business” features the special effects team who dealt with the blood, and a few others.

Sweeney Todd is an impressive artistic achievement by all involved and is arguably Burton’s best film to date. “God, That's Good!” was one of many songs from the musical that didn’t make it into the film, but it perfectly encapsulates my reaction.