With a child-molesting wolf, a baby
stealing witch and an adulterous wife, this fairy tale is definitely
not your normal Disney fare.
Into the Woods has
long been a fan favorite on Broadway, but finding it's way to the big
screen hasn't been quick or easy by any means. While there are
some changes to the original masterpiece,
Into the Woods
is a pretty faithful adaptation of Sondheim's beloved play that
translates well to the big screen.
I'll
admit, outside of Disney movies, I'm not a musical seeking kind of
girl. In fact I mostly avoid them at all costs, all that singing
really gets on my nerves. On the stage its a different thing, but
mostly the big screen version can't capture the magic of a live
performance, even with its fancy special effects. But knowing
that this would be a mashup of Grimm tales, which I love, and had a
stellar cast, Into the Woods
looked intriguing as a movie. Combining the stories of
Cinderella, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the
Beanstalk, Into The Woods
strings them together with the tale of a Baker and his wife who must
reverse a witch's curse that's preventing them from becoming parents.
She needs four items, all of which she hasn't touched, to break the
curse, and they only have days to do it.
The entire tale is steeped in Freudian metaphor
from sprouting beanstalks to ransacked gardens. Happily ever after
changes as the ensemble tackles dreary topics as death, infidelity
and child abandonment, but they do it with with flare that none of
the topics seem overbearing.
The casting really is spectacular. Meryl Streep broke her no witch
policy to play the Witch, and while she is over the top at times, its
really a part that has to be overacted and have plenty of flash,
which it does. Johnny Depp plays another character that fits in well
with the rest of his character work. As the wolf he's both lecherous
and rapacious. He's possibly the creepiest
character ever to crawl into a Disney film, as he stalks the
prepubescent Riding Hood while singing the disturbing song "Hello,
Little Girl." Depp is probably the only person who could get
away with this performance, in all honesty.
Anna Kendrick showcases her beautiful pipes,
but from her Pitch Perfect
performance, we already knew that she could sing, so her performance
wasn't too much of a surprise. Chris Pine is fantastic as
Cinderella's Prince, he's just the right amount of ridiculousness,
compared to the rest of the cast he's an absolute ham, but his
portrayal is spot on the play version. James Corden is the baker.
He's not a well known name like many of the rest, but he is
spectacular, and hard not to root for. Lilla Crawford's Little Red
Riding Hood is an absolute scene stealer, which is a good thing as she
replaced the actress who originally had the role. Daniel
Huttlestone's Jack is equally good, pilfering plenty of scenes.
Mackenzie Mauzy makes an enchanting Rapunzel. The biggest surprise
though, comes from Emily Blunt, who is absolutely impressive as the
baker's wife. She's sultry without effort, and her singing voice is
quite lovely. Is there anything that she can't do?
Tragically there is no “Agony”
reprise with the Princes lusting after Snow White and Sleeping
Beauty. They aren't mentioned at all, and with the fun captured with
the first “Agony” its a shame that the reprise was skipped. There
are other deaths that are not played out as well, that are in the
play, one of which makes the Witch's lament a little less poignant,
and feel more temper tantrumish. Another thing missing is a lot of
the humor. In the Woods is
suppose to be dark true, but the biting humor, which plays such a big
part of the play is missing. While everyone plays their roles pretty
straight laced, only Pine gets to be truly humorous throughout, and
Billy Magnussen only gets to join him in the silliness during their
“Agony” number.
Into the Woods
is a very modern and fun interpretation of fairy tales that we're all
familiar with, given a grown up make-over. It's not as immersive or
inventive as it could be, but it does stay fairly close to the source
material. Some of the scenes and numbers feel overly long, but the
brilliance of the performances make a jaunt into the woods
worthwhile.
