Into the Woods - Film Review

Into the Woods tells the story of picture fairy tale characters whose lives become entangled due to the plotting of a malevolent witch. Hoping to carry a spell that scarf her youth and wonder, the Witch (Meryl Streep) manipulates a humble baker (James Corden) and his spouse (Emily Blunt) into stealing a series of notable things (the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and also the slipper as pure as gold). If the couple succeeds in their quest at intervals 3 days, the witch guarantees to get rid of a curse from the baker’s house – a curse that has prevented his spouse from bearing kids.

While the Baker and his spouse traverse the forest in search of the witch’s looking list, acquainted Grimm characters, together with Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), very little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) of stem fame, face their own precarious adventures, to not mention charming princes (Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen) within the woods. However, as every character comes face-to-face with their story book destinies – some discover that their dreams don't seem to be quite as witching as they could have antecedently fanciful.

While the large screen adaptation of Into the Woods is predicated heavily on author Sondheim’s hit musical, it had been really the musical book’s author, James Lapine, UN agency wrote the film script - with director Rob Marshall (Chicago) sitting within the director’s chair. As a result, the picture show edges from the playfulness and meta-story moments of the book and musical adaptation, whereas fans of Lapine’s and Sondheim’s Great White Way show (not to say film musicals in general) can notice lots to get pleasure from in Marshall’s version.

Still, in navigating the initial tone of Lapine and Sondheim’s iteration, Into the Woods presents a a lot of mature (and downright lengthy) narrative than casual filmgoers may well be anticipating – particularly considering Disney’s kid-friendly selling of the picture show. in contrast to the stories that galvanized it, Into the Woods doesn't feature a similar “happily ever after” storylines of Brothers Grimm tales - that means that a lot of of the boldest divergencies would possibly really be off-putting for younger viewers and moviegoers UN agency needed a light-hearted (and straightforward) re-creation of classic fairy tales. That said, Lapine’s script still makes noticeable changes to the larger Into the Woods canon, within the interest of a a lot of PG-rated version of events, manufacturing some downright awkward tonal and pacing change-ups.

Whereas the stage show’s central pivot is punctuated by AN audience intermission, the film doesn't give its viewers with a similar breathing space. For that reason, dramatic reversals in character arcs (and individual desires) flip once-relatable protagonists into fickle and unlikable plot devices – all for the aim of human action a shrewd message regarding fantasy love and happiness. On the stage, with area to mirror between chapters/acts, this gray morality works; however on the large screen, as a 124 minute film, some viewers could notice that Marshall’s direction of AN adaptation (Lapine’s script) of Sondheim’s musical, creates many abrupt and underdeveloped shifts – to not mention some outright abandoned plot threads (read: Rapunzel).

Whereas Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables used raw audio from the set, Marshall didn't record his solid singling live on-stage – selecting to feature polished (and poppy) vocals into the combo break away recorded footage. For that reason, the lip-synced musical numbers and kid-friendly alterations to the story could lead on inflexible Into the Woods fans to feel that Disney’s version sacrifices the stage show’s raw energy (along with the book’s darker developments) so as to repackage the core plot line as a shiny and energetic journey for a far broader (and younger) audience. The picture show is generally devoted to previous Into the Woods comes, providing a similar fun twists on fairy tale tropes, however there’s absolute confidence that Marshall has polished away a number of the core story’s a lot of fascinating and impactful components.

Yet, even once the narrative labors underneath the load of Into the Woods’ franchise history, the film is filled with nice performances furthermore as lovely visuals and choreography that enhance Sondheim’s Tony triumph musical foundation. Viewers UN agency square measure keen on Pakistani monetary unit Kendrick’s add Pitch excellent can, while not question, get pleasure from seeing the role player singing onscreen once more and, additionally to catchy crooning, Kendrick’s Cinderella is additionally given one in every of the a lot of participating arcs of the film. James Corden (Doctor Who) is equally sturdy because the Baker providing a adorable however desperate performance that is a key emotional anchor in Marshall’s adaptation.

Similarly, Streep could be a player because the Witch – injecting an advanced attractiveness into a task that was already created noted by Great White Way actress Bernadette Peters. Ultimately, the Witch is typically underserved by the film adaptation method (especially in her relationship with Mackenzie Mauzy’s Rapunzel) however actress manages to form every of her songs and dramatic moments unforgettable. to boot, Into the Woods options AN expansive roll of top-tier talent in supporting roles – with solid turns (and musical numbers) from Emily Blunt, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, Christine Baranski, thespian Ullman, and Johnny Reb Depp (whose massive unhealthy Wolf isn’t really onscreen terribly long), among others.

The “Agony” duet between Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen could be a smart indicator that Marshall’s version has the potential to please each fans and newcomers alike – with fun riffs on acquainted fairy tales and their cliches. Even once the picture show stumbles in attachment along all of its plot lines and thematic juxtapositions, there's still lots of fun to be had moment to moment. Into the Woods struggles in fine standardization previous iterations for the large screen, and finding its own identity as a movie, however it’s still AN overall attractive and amusive musical expertise for all ages.