Into the Woods

Granted, the film was misleadingly advertised(where I came from though the advertising made it very clear that it was a musical) for some people who clearly had no prior knowledge of the source material and, as is apparent in a lot of the reviews here, Stephen Sondheim's music is not for all tastes, so the dislike is understandable. But as someone who's a fan of musicals, one of those who likes Sondheim, who considers Into the Woods as one of his best and as a fan of the production with Bernadette Peters, while it has its problems to me this film was enjoyable. While as said before the dislike is understandable I do think the amount of hatred it's gotten is over-the-top(this is nowhere near the worst movie ever by any stretch of the imagination) and unfair(mostly from people who didn't know it was a musical or those who have a stereotypical view as to what a Disney film should be like).

Into the Woods has a very problematic second half, not all of it is so but a lot of it is, enough to make it an issue. The first half was witty, upbeat, colourful and mostly close to the story of the musical, but the second half slackens in pace a little and the tone shifts rather discordantly to something darker and less cohesive due to cutting things that would have made it make more sense. The second act of Into the Woods is dark in the first place(and there are people who do find the second act heavy for them) but not to this extent, never did it feel like two different shows. It also did a much better job balancing any tone shifts, and is funnier and more poignant than in the film version. Agony is hilarious and Children Will Listen evokes a lot of pathos here so the film is not devoid of those qualities, just that they're stronger in the musical, and those qualities would have come stronger here if the second Agony and No More were kept intact. Lilla Crawford is also obnoxiously shrill and a complete blank expressions-wise as Little Red Riding Hood.

On the other hand, Into the Woods is great-looking stuff, loved the beautiful but creepy and colourful but foreboding woods setting as well as the cinematography which was a delicious mix of dream-like and macabre. Sondheim's music here has been criticised for being forgettable and samey, criticisms that I do not agree with at all, if anything does repeat itself it's called a motif which Sondheim uses a lot. The score is rousing, beautiful and haunting and of the songs The Last Midnight, Agony and Children Will Listen particularly stand out here, which all have completely different moods to one another. The lyrics are some of Sondheim's smartest and more complex as well, funny as well as meaningful. All the musical numbers are charmingly and cleverly staged, especially Agony and The Last Midnight. Hello Little Girl will be too much for some and the creepiness is a little overdone and disconcerting here, Johnny Depp acts it brilliantly though. Rob Marshall shows great technical skill as a director and captures the mood of the musical more than competently. And apart from Crawford the cast are excellent with Meryl Streep's imposing Witch(she kills The Last Midnight and thrillingly), Chris Pine's hilarious Prince and Emily Blunt's nuanced and heartfelt Baker's Wife. Anna Kendrick is a charming Cinderella, James Corden endears as the Baker, Daniel Huttlestone does admirably despite Jack being written incompletely and Johnny Depp is very memorable, his Wolf is certainly not one to trust, in his short screen time.

To conclude, Into the Woods is problematic but doesn't deserve anywhere near the amount of vehement hatred it's gotten on here, and it's far superior to the mediocre at best Annie also from 2014. It's not for everybody but judging from the reviews it's like it's almost illegal to like the film let alone love it. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

Greetings again from the darkness. It's a musical, but not a typical musical. It's a fairy tale, but not a typical fairy tale. It's funny, but not a typical comedy. It's a bit frightening, but not a typical monster film. It's filled with lessons of morality and responsibility, but certainly not a typical parable. In fact, there is nothing typical about director Rob Marshall's (Oscar winner for Chicago) screen adaptation of the smash Broadway hit from Stephen Sondheim and James Lupine.

The story revolves around 4 classic Fairy Tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, in a style much more similar in tone to the edgy Brothers Grimm, than the cuddly Walt Disney traditionals. These four are intertwined with the saga of a baker (James Cordon) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who discover they have been unable to have children due to a long ago spell cast by a wicked witch (Meryl Streep). With a secret agenda, the witch offers the couple a way to break the spell, and that's what ties-in the four tales and provides a reason for adventure and song.

Filmed seamlessly between an elaborate sound stage and a couple of park locations, the film has a dark and eerie feel to it that's probably too intense for younger children. And much of the dialogue and lyrics is aimed directly at adults and will be a blur to kids. Additionally, in typical Sondheim fashion, the songs aren't catchy and melodic in the manner of most movie musicals … instead the lyrics propel the story and help shape the characters. Oh, and by the way, don't expect any fancy dance sequences – this is pretty serious stuff with plenty of angst amongst the characters.

Ms. Streep is extraordinary as the witch (both nasty and beautiful) and does a terrific job with her three main songs. She is especially fun in her entrances and exits, and while wearing the most impactful of all the costumes. Emily Blunt also handles her vocals very well and offers up some of the film's most witty dialogue. Chris Pine (as the Prince) is flat out hilarious, and with a twinkle in his eye, spouts lines such as "I was raised to be charming, not sincere". He also shares the screen with Billy Magnussen (playing the younger brother) in the most audacious of the musical numbers, "Agony". As Cinderella, Anna Kendrick once again proves she is an exceptionally talented singer, and James Cordon anchors the production as the nice guy village baker we are rooting for.

In supporting roles, we have a devilish Johnny Depp whose screen time as the Big Bad Wolf is quite limited, and a perfectly cast Christine Baranski as the evil step-mother in cahoots with her non-Cinderella daughters played by Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard. Lilla Crawford is Little Red Riding Hood, and her young age snuffs out much of the innuendo that the Wolf scenes should have provided, and takes the edge off the song "I Know Things Now". Daniel Huddlestone is an energetic Jack, and dependable Tracey Ullman plays his frustrated mom. MacKenzie Mauzy captures the awakening of Rapunzel, while Frances de la Tour frightens everyone involved as the agitated (for good reason) Lady Giant.

Unconventional is the best description of this production, and there is a group of viewers who will be totally captivated by it, while a much larger group will probably find it too dark and bleak, and lacking the easy charm we have come to expect from movie musicals. However, for those of us in the first group, we will be totally enchanted by the characters, story lines, wry humor, costumes, sets, and songs.

A wonderful cast indeed, and a number of popular fairy tales entwined, but I couldn't help feeling that I was watching a stage play instead of a movie. At times it felt the film was moving in circles, with a sense of deja vu more often than not. I also found the singing just a tad too much, and too drawn out at times. All in all it was a good production, I suppose, but this is an acquired taste, and it just did not tickle my palate. It became too repetitive and boring.

Stephen Sondheim's 1987 musical which intermingled various fairy tales of the Bothers Grimm seem rather common in a post Shrek world.

Although the Broadway musical has a first act with a traditional fairy tale conventions the second act is more subversive which is toned down in this movie.

The biggest problem of course are the musical numbers, Sondheim I am afraid to say in his later years has never been as catchy as Rodgers and Hammerstein, although the latter was his early mentor.

The film starts of brightly, director Rob Marshall has certainly Disney-fied the story. There is a satisfying happy ever after ending with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack, the wicked witch and the baker and his wife. Wait there is still an hour to go.

The second half looks at the characters in disillusionment of a world that is not all technicolour but dark as a studio set masquerading as the gloomy forest. Somewhere along the line the films gets lost a little as the second giant arrives, people die and the survivors grieve.

Johnny Depp has a sinister and mischievous cameo as the perverted wolf. Chris Pine is rather able as the good but dim Prince Charming, James Corden is whimsical and the heart of the film as the Baker and Meryl Streep dominates visually as the witch.

Upto half way it's great. The storyline is well packed and music is top notch... then it suddenly reaches a point of viewer asking why on earth hasn't it ended there.