Review 339: Into the Woods
Based of the original Broadway Musical, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, As the result of the curse of a once-beautiful witch (Meryl Streep), a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are childless. Three days before the rise of a blue moon, they venture into the forest to find the ingredients that will reverse the spell and restore the witch's beauty: a milk-white cow, hair as yellow as corn, a blood-red cape, and a slipper of gold. During their journey, they meet Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy) and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), each one on a quest to fulfill a wish.
The plot deviates from the original musical (I haven't seen the original play but have done my research) but the result is a dark, at times funny, sometimes whimsical and overall entertaining film. Possibly the best thing about this film is that you get a combination of all the most famous fairy tales, Cinderella, Little Red Ridding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk in this one movie, but in a fresh, brand new way. They all go "into the woods" get their wishes and you see how far they will go to get what they want and they end end up trying to outdo each other which was very fun to watch.
Another impressive thing about this movie is that the movie shows the new angel of the fairy tales and skips the parts we know, stuff like Cinderella at the ball, Jack climbing the Beanstalk to steal, the eggs, the gold and the harp, we all know these parts of the stories, we don't need to see them, so in that way, the film retains the stage essence of the play.
Thats all fine and good right up until the second act, when the fairy tale characters have to work together to right the wrongs that they've called and I didn't feel it meshed well with the overall flow and tone of the film. The first and second were really fast paced and engaging, putting loads fun, clever and hilarious twists on classic fairy tales and in the third act it descended into this melodramatic, overly complicated drama of the characters trying to right the wrongs they have caused.
However the good stuff that comes out of this film are some excellent messages such as Be careful what you wish for and how do you get through the day with the unstable world we live in today.
Be careful what you wish for: All the characters wish for something better than what they have and once they get what they wish for it causes a state of disequilibrium. On the plus side is that you see how it effects them and at the end of the day it shows that you should look at what you have rather than what you want. Loads of people wish they had something more than what they have
How do you get through the day with the unstable world we live in: The answer is with each other. Someone gets through the day on his/her own, that person needs someone or a group of companions to help them through their challenges and jump over the obstacles.
Overall Into the Woods has a strong atmosphere of togetherness which I think is a great message for audiences of all ages.
Director Rob Marshall's direction is uneven but electric, the cinematography is glorious, the production design is magnificent, the costumes are majestic, the special effects are marvelous, the musical numbers are joyful and engaging (particularly "No One is Alone which I found truly touching). The scenery is gorgeous and it's well paced.
The acting is truly the highlight of the film and this film has a stupendous ensemble cast, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracy Ulman as well as some great newcomers such as Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone and MacKenzie Mauzy.
Meryl Streep is deliciously creepy and wicked as The Witch, all she wants is to reverse a curse that has been placed on her and she sets in motion all sorts of devices to reverse it and sets everyones lives into upheaval which of course is fun to watch.
Emily Blunt is wonderful as The Bakers's wife, all she really wants is a baby and she and the baker have been trying for years to have but they have been unsuccessful thus far. But when she discoveres that the curse can be reversed, she becomes this rather tenatious and determinded character with such percevirance who will go to any lengths to get what she wants. And you see this unraveling of this character who is initially a nice person but gets swept up by the woods and what they have to offer. And it's really interesting to see this unraveling of this character which Blunt plays expertly.
James Corden gives a gentle and kind hearted performance as the baker, he's had a troubled past and as result of this past, he and his wife are cursed and due to this curse they can't have a baby, which him and his wife quite a sympathetic couple. But once the witch tells them the curse can be reversed if they collect a certain number of objects, it becomes this unraveling of these characters who are at heart a nice couple but who will go to any lengths to get a child.
Chris Pine gives a pretty poor English accent as Cinderella's Prince but I think that's kind of the point in a film like this and he seemed to be having a great time putting a terrible english accent-and it's one of the charms of character and overall film.
Anna Kendrick seems she was tailor-made to play a princess as Cinderella, she has the tenderness, the maternal, gental, caring side thats required for a character, and she can play the self awareness part really well with excellent comedic timing.
Johnny Deep's presence in the film actually quite limited, It seemed like he was on set for about four or five days worth of filming before they let him go. But he's very good as the werewolf, he has the charm, the creepiness, the charisma and the manners that needed to play the character and it fits right in there with his wheelhouse.
Lilla Crawford and Daniel Huttlestone are actually one of the highlights of the film as Little Red Riding Hood and Jack, that don't come off as anoying, but actually quite inquisitive and charming and they kind of help this motley group of fairy tale character through this tangly web of fairy tale fantasia and provides with some moral support.
Other actors who are great in the film are Tracy Ulman as Jack's Mother, MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel, Billy Magnussen as Rapunzel's Prince and Christine Baranski as Cinderella's Stepmother,
Be Careful What You Wish For and I wish you all enjoy this film, 3.5/5.
The Anonymous Critic.
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