Sweeney Todd is a bloody good time--and I do mean bloody.

Tim Burton has adapted Stephen Sondheim's musical for the screen, bringing just enough of his characteristic style without overdoing it.

The hair is extravagant, the blood splatters are a garish red-orange, but he's smart enough to let the music and songwriting speak for themselves.

Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) was once a naive barber named Benjamin Barker. Falsely convicted by the corrupt, lecherous Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), he was torn from his lovely wife and daughter and transported to Australia.

After 15 years away, he returns to London with a new name and nothing but vengeance on his mind.

Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), proprietor of the pie shop below Sweeney's old quarters, remembers him and happily takes him in again, informing him that his wife took poison long ago and Judge Turpin is raising his daughter Johanna in near isolation.

Mrs. Lovett fancies Sweeney, but he has eyes only for his straight razors and the judge. This subtle, one-sided relationship provides much of the film's dark humor and depth.

There's a subplot concerning Johanna and a sailor who befriended Sweeney on the voyage to London, but it's not nearly as compelling.

While the plot is just an especially dark riff on the standard revenge fantasy, the musical numbers are the movie's raison d'etre.

The choreography is understated but fitting, the score fantastic and the lyrics devilishly clever.

"A Little Priest," as Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett discuss how to dispose of bodies, is a wickedly fun highlight of the film, and Sweeney's bloodthirsty odes to revenge ("My Friends" and "Epiphany") are guilty pleasures.

If you don't mind a little murder amongst your song and dance, Sweeney Todd is an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. It's over the top, but has enough subtle touches to keep the observant viewer laughing. And really, can anyone get enough of Johnny Depp?