“Into the Woods” has always been a bit of an oddball in the Broadway canon, primarily for its sharply dichotomous first and second acts and for Sondheim’s typically atypical compositional style. It’s a strange and messy show that’s always going to divide audiences—there’s a lot of singing, and a lot of darkness. In short, this is tricky material to adapt to film, and Disney deserves kudos for keeping most of the sharp edges of the original material intact.
This isn’t a great movie—visually, it’s quite drab, and some of the omissions (particularly in the transition between the film’s more traditional first half and darker second half) make the pacing seem a bit choppy. Marshall does a serviceable job adapting the material (partially redeeming himself for his butchery of “Nine”), but one can’t help but wonder what a truly visionary director might have been able to do with this complex, subversive, messy material.
With all that said, there’s a lot to like here, and it’s still a solid adaptation of middle-tier Sondheim (and, in my book, “weaker” Sondheim is still better than most things out there.) The ensemble is excellent (even James Corden is tolerable), with Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife a particular standout. Most of the actors can actually sing, which is always a plus in a movie musical. Most importantly, it’s funny and moving in the right spots, and the profundity and beauty of Sondheim’s insanely clever and wise (though occasionally more strained than in his best works) lyrics and Lapine’s script are still there for those willing to listen.
The cast did a great job (although I think Corden was an odd choice).
The songs weren't bad, but they just weren't great.
The movie just felt way too long.
A very special movie and probably not exactly mainstream taste.
I love the fairy tales this is based on, though I do not know the original musical. Still I ended up really liking this movie - even if I seemed to be pretty much the only one at the movie theater that day who felt that way.
I guess in order to appreciate the film you have to see it as a comedy as well as a reflection on life, containing some great music. If you're just expecting a fantasy flick with an exciting story, you'll likely be disappointed.
That's not to say it wasn't visually impressive. I loved the magical landscape shots and the great costumes and make-up.
But the real appeal of this movie was in all the metaphors and reflections about life: Love, betrayal, dreams, disappointment and moving on, loss, life-changing experiences, blame and guilt, children, encountering malicious people... the great, complex and also at times amusing lyrics painted very beautiful pictures of these aspects of life. "Anything can happen in the woods." The score also contained some catchy tunes but the lyrics were really impressive.
The comedy was amazing as well. Loved Meryl Streep, who was as always a pleasure to watch and listen to, as well as Emily Blunt or Chris Pine (absolutely hilarious in the song "Agony"!).
The acting was amazing. I also hugely enjoyed the performances by Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford as well as Johnny Depp, who played a very charming and yet creepy and abominable wolf.
Yes, the story had some weaker parts (particularly towards the end) but the important parts of the movie made up for that.
All in all, as my sister rightly put it, a very "strange" movie and certainly not to everyone's taste - but still very entertaining and rewarding if you allow yourself to get engaged in it.
Some of my favorite scenes:
Cinderella reflecting on her situation on the palace stairs while time seems frozen for everyone else; Jack singing and telling about his life-changing expriences in the sky; the witch always turning up unexpectedly and shouting at the couple; the magical journey through the woods in general but also Little Red Riding Hood and the creepy wolf...
Into the Woods. Thoughts:
-I've never seen such natural and effortless scene to song transitions in a movie.
-Every one in the cast works really really well. Beautifully so.
-The second half works mostly. The lack of her death did not bother me nearly as much as the lack of trauma over everything else that happens. Where was the tragedy in the break up scene?? But all of the tragic innuendo was there in "I Know Things Now" and kudos to Disney for that.
-Rob Marshall cuts to reaction shots at all the wrong times. Consistently. It's crazy distracting.
-The prologue was thrilling. Majorly.
-James Lapine's Cinderella is one of the best written female characters in musical theater. I will never get over her.
-Criticisms aside, I loved it. My face hurt from smiling and I loved watching an average movie audience meet these lifelong friends of mine for the first time.
Sondheim's music and the wonderful libretto are the real stars of this, but the actors do it a great justice. What causes the film an injustice is the lack of a traditional musical theatre act break that would allow the audience to recharge, reset and discuss between portions of the show. Without it, the film drags on and nearly completely collapses as it shifts into its second act.
Enjoyable, entertaining and funny, this musical is a meditation on the consequences of the choices we make, and the moral ambiguity that can follow from entrance into the metaphorical eponymous woods. Just take a pause when the film seems like it's about to end. You might enjoy it more.
Normally, I would think that this was an okay movie. However, it simply pales in comparison to the original musical. I think that it placed the emphasis on the first act, while it should have been on the second act. They cut out the reprise of "Agony", arguably my favorite scene from the play (although the song in the movie is beautifully interpreted), as well as many other important second act scenes. Additionally, the constant singing of the musical is near operatic and is much more well fit for a stage than a screen. That said though, this acting of the movie was wonderful by most and the rendition of the first act was very good, it just should have been more.
It was good, but once you've seen the original broadway version it loses a lot of its charm! (Meryl was good, but an Oscar nomination for her once you've seen Bernadette Peters is just... wrong)
I wasn't expecting to enjoy Into the Woods quite as much as I did, even if the third act suffered from too much darkness and too few songs. But I went in with no expectations or research, and was rewarded for it with some nice surprises, mostly in the casting. Lovely to see James Corden in anything (can't help seeing Craig from Doctor Who, but that's a feature not a flaw). I never knew Emily Blunt could be so funny. Anna Kendrick is, no surprise, excellent as a reluctant Cinderella (puts to shame the awful live action copy of the celebrated animated film they showed in the previews). Tracey Ullman is in this? Cool! Chris Pine is hilarious and his Prince Charming is more Captain Kirk than his Captain Kirk ever was. I know you won't be shocked to I less enamored of Johnny Depp's mercifully brief appearance the Big Bad Wolf, but that's less to do with him than the text, which suggests the woods are a metaphor for sexuality, transformation and the general loss of innocence. The Wolf as sexual predator. More Fables than Disney, Into the Woods might be too dark for smaller children, but then, were the Brothers Grimm? A final note on the marketing: Based on the entire songless trailer, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of movie goers were caught unaware. So if you don't know, yes, this is a musical.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 17
Timec
“Into the Woods” has always been a bit of an oddball in the Broadway canon, primarily for its sharply dichotomous first and second acts and for Sondheim’s typically atypical compositional style. It’s a strange and messy show that’s always going to divide audiences—there’s a lot of singing, and a lot of darkness. In short, this is tricky material to adapt to film, and Disney deserves kudos for keeping most of the sharp edges of the original material intact.This isn’t a great movie—visually, it’s quite drab, and some of the omissions (particularly in the transition between the film’s more traditional first half and darker second half) make the pacing seem a bit choppy. Marshall does a serviceable job adapting the material (partially redeeming himself for his butchery of “Nine”), but one can’t help but wonder what a truly visionary director might have been able to do with this complex, subversive, messy material.
With all that said, there’s a lot to like here, and it’s still a solid adaptation of middle-tier Sondheim (and, in my book, “weaker” Sondheim is still better than most things out there.) The ensemble is excellent (even James Corden is tolerable), with Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife a particular standout. Most of the actors can actually sing, which is always a plus in a movie musical. Most importantly, it’s funny and moving in the right spots, and the profundity and beauty of Sondheim’s insanely clever and wise (though occasionally more strained than in his best works) lyrics and Lapine’s script are still there for those willing to listen.
NuclearPlanet
I enjoyed the first act, the second act just fell flat on its face.Aissi
The cast did a great job (although I think Corden was an odd choice).The songs weren't bad, but they just weren't great.
The movie just felt way too long.
jmars
Thank you Johnny Depp for only being in 5 minutes of this movie.IreneAdler
A very special movie and probably not exactly mainstream taste.I love the fairy tales this is based on, though I do not know the original musical. Still I ended up really liking this movie - even if I seemed to be pretty much the only one at the movie theater that day who felt that way.
I guess in order to appreciate the film you have to see it as a comedy as well as a reflection on life, containing some great music. If you're just expecting a fantasy flick with an exciting story, you'll likely be disappointed.
That's not to say it wasn't visually impressive. I loved the magical landscape shots and the great costumes and make-up.
But the real appeal of this movie was in all the metaphors and reflections about life: Love, betrayal, dreams, disappointment and moving on, loss, life-changing experiences, blame and guilt, children, encountering malicious people... the great, complex and also at times amusing lyrics painted very beautiful pictures of these aspects of life. "Anything can happen in the woods." The score also contained some catchy tunes but the lyrics were really impressive.
The comedy was amazing as well. Loved Meryl Streep, who was as always a pleasure to watch and listen to, as well as Emily Blunt or Chris Pine (absolutely hilarious in the song "Agony"!).
The acting was amazing. I also hugely enjoyed the performances by Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford as well as Johnny Depp, who played a very charming and yet creepy and abominable wolf.
Yes, the story had some weaker parts (particularly towards the end) but the important parts of the movie made up for that.
All in all, as my sister rightly put it, a very "strange" movie and certainly not to everyone's taste - but still very entertaining and rewarding if you allow yourself to get engaged in it.
Some of my favorite scenes:
mightysparks
This film was pure agony. Ironically, the only non-agonizing part was the 'Agony' scene.dwzobell
Into the Woods. Thoughts:-I've never seen such natural and effortless scene to song transitions in a movie.
-Every one in the cast works really really well. Beautifully so.
-The second half works mostly. The lack of her death did not bother me nearly as much as the lack of trauma over everything else that happens. Where was the tragedy in the break up scene?? But all of the tragic innuendo was there in "I Know Things Now" and kudos to Disney for that.
-Rob Marshall cuts to reaction shots at all the wrong times. Consistently. It's crazy distracting.
-The prologue was thrilling. Majorly.
-James Lapine's Cinderella is one of the best written female characters in musical theater. I will never get over her.
-Criticisms aside, I loved it. My face hurt from smiling and I loved watching an average movie audience meet these lifelong friends of mine for the first time.
frankqb
Sondheim's music and the wonderful libretto are the real stars of this, but the actors do it a great justice. What causes the film an injustice is the lack of a traditional musical theatre act break that would allow the audience to recharge, reset and discuss between portions of the show. Without it, the film drags on and nearly completely collapses as it shifts into its second act.Enjoyable, entertaining and funny, this musical is a meditation on the consequences of the choices we make, and the moral ambiguity that can follow from entrance into the metaphorical eponymous woods. Just take a pause when the film seems like it's about to end. You might enjoy it more.
3 stars out of 4
B
3.75 stars out of 5
BigAwesomeBLT
I didn't come away humming or even remembering any of the songs, which is kind of what you want from a musical.danisanna
I quite liked this one.Zangin
Normally, I would think that this was an okay movie. However, it simply pales in comparison to the original musical. I think that it placed the emphasis on the first act, while it should have been on the second act. They cut out the reprise of "Agony", arguably my favorite scene from the play (although the song in the movie is beautifully interpreted), as well as many other important second act scenes. Additionally, the constant singing of the musical is near operatic and is much more well fit for a stage than a screen. That said though, this acting of the movie was wonderful by most and the rendition of the first act was very good, it just should have been more.misguidedthings
It was good, but once you've seen the original broadway version it loses a lot of its charm! (Meryl was good, but an Oscar nomination for her once you've seen Bernadette Peters is just... wrong)A nice movie to kill time.
kuzzi
waste of timechunkylefunga
There's a reason why it didn't receive any golden globes nominations.Siskoid
I wasn't expecting to enjoy Into the Woods quite as much as I did, even if the third act suffered from too much darkness and too few songs. But I went in with no expectations or research, and was rewarded for it with some nice surprises, mostly in the casting. Lovely to see James Corden in anything (can't help seeing Craig from Doctor Who, but that's a feature not a flaw). I never knew Emily Blunt could be so funny. Anna Kendrick is, no surprise, excellent as a reluctant Cinderella (puts to shame the awful live action copy of the celebrated animated film they showed in the previews). Tracey Ullman is in this? Cool! Chris Pine is hilarious and his Prince Charming is more Captain Kirk than his Captain Kirk ever was. I know you won't be shocked to I less enamored of Johnny Depp's mercifully brief appearance the Big Bad Wolf, but that's less to do with him than the text, which suggests the woods are a metaphor for sexuality, transformation and the general loss of innocence. The Wolf as sexual predator. More Fables than Disney, Into the Woods might be too dark for smaller children, but then, were the Brothers Grimm? A final note on the marketing: Based on the entire songless trailer, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of movie goers were caught unaware. So if you don't know, yes, this is a musical.Showing items 1 – 15 of 17