December is just beginning and it already looks to be a heckuva good final month of a heckuva good year at the movies. The studios are unleashing some heavy hitters in the next few weeks, from Will Smith's "I Am Legend" to Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts' "Charlie Wilson's War" to Daniel-Day Lewis' "There Will Be Blood." But they will be hard pressed to top "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." I caught a press screening of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton's latest collaboration a few nights ago, and it was sensational.

Check out the trailer:

I'll leave the detailed reviews to Jeffrey & Alison when they review it on RT the weekend 'Sweeney' opens, Dec. 21 and just paint a broad picture here.

I can't think of any other actor but Johnny Depp who could have pulled off playing a singing, slaying barber without making it an exercise in camp. His Benjamin Barker AKA 'Sweeney Todd' is angry, embittered and bloodthirsty. And unlike the 'Pirates' franchise, there are no wink-winks to the audience, no wry smiles saying 'yeah, i know. This is all a bit out there.' Uh-uh. Depp plays it straight and it works. He's a commanding presence throughout -- and an ever-present one. He's in much of the movie.

Oh, and any doubt you may have about whether Depp can handle the complicated Stephen Sondheim songs will be gone before the first number is done. Helena Bonham Carter is a real hoot too as pie-maker Mrs. Lovett, who figures out a sick way to cash in on Todd's recipe for revenge. Alan Rickman just oozes badness as the evil judge who is the target of Todd's vengeance. Sacha Baron Cohen provides a brief but memorable supporting turn as a rival barber of Sweeney's.

As with any Burton movie, it's a gorgeous-looking production, from the set designs to the crisp photography. The musical score too, helps drive the film. It's loud and bombastic. I can't compare it to the Broadway production since I've never seen the show. But I thought Burton turned out a wonderfully twisted piece of musical theater.

A word of warning: It's a bloodbath (I mean, it is about a killer barber, after all) so find a babysitter and leave the kids at home for this one. Burton earned his R rating here. He's also created a true theatrical experience. I just wonder if Oscar voters will have the stomach to reward the film for its daring.

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" opens Dec. 21.