Into the Woods Movie Review

            Many people don’t care for the Broadway musical Into the Woods when they first see it, but it’s a show that grows on you. I admit that I wasn’t the biggest fan when I first saw the video recording of the original Broadway production starring Bernadette Peters. However, multiple viewings helped me to appreciate its brilliance. Now it’s one of my all-time favorite shows. It often takes a while to get used to the style of Stephen Sondheim’s complex music. The dark aspects of the play’s second act may seem overwhelming at first, but the show also has a lot of humor and inspiring messages throughout. It’s not surprising that the new film adaptation is similarly misunderstood by first-time viewers.

            Into the Woods is a fairy-tale mash-up with multiple plotlines. It tells the familiar stories of “Cinderella,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “Little Red Ridinghood,” and “Rapunzel.” The central storyline focuses on a Baker (James Corden) and his Wife (Emily Blunt), who want a child, but have been cursed with barrenness by a Witch (Meryl Streep). In order to reverse the spell, they must go to the woods and gather four objects (the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slipper as pure as gold) to make a potion for the Witch. As you can probably guess, these objects belong to specific fairy tale characters whom the Baker and his Wife encounter in the woods.

            When the characters get their wishes and we reach the famous fairy tale endings, the movie is far from over. The characters’ actions have some unexpected consequences. There are even some deaths that occur. However, the characters’ experiences teach them a series of important life lessons including but not limited to the following: don’t lose sight of what’s right and what’s wrong when accomplishing your goals, don’t act without thinking, some things are more important than getting your wish, getting what you want doesn’t always make you content, learn from your mistakes, and be careful what lessons you pass on to children. Most importantly, everyone learns that even in the darkest times, “no one is alone.”

            The cast is the film’s biggest strength. Corden and Blunt show great range as the show’s leads. Meryl Streep continues to prove that she can do practically anything. Anna Kendrick may not look like my ideal Cinderella, but her singing voice is “pitch perfect.” I like the fact that Jack (Daniel Huttlestone from Les Misérables) and Little Red (Lila Crawford from Broadway’s Annie) are actually played by kids for once. Jack’s Mother (Tracy Ullman) and Cinderella’s Stepmother (Christine Baranski) provide some good comic relief. Cinderella’s Prince (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel’s Prince (Billy Magnussen) are hilarious in the song “Agony.” Johnny Depp is fine as the Wolf, though his costume is weird.

Fans of the stage version may be nitpicky about some changes and omissions the film makes, but they need to realize that different isn’t necessarily bad. As much as I love the moments that are cut, I feel that the film is fine without them. Some of the changes clarify certain plot points a little more. The movie is at least half-an-hour shorter than most stage productions. It also blurs the lines between the show’s two acts, making the film feel more like a unified story and less like two separate stories. I think director Rob Marshall succeeds with Into the Woods just like he did with Chicago. Just remember that it might take more than one trip into the woods to realize why people love this show so much.

Rating: 9/10