Into the Woods-2014

Director Rob Marshall

Starring Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep

Scott’s Review #241

Reviewed May 8, 2015

Grade: B

Based on the stage production of the same name, Into the Woods (2014) is a feature-length Disney film that incorporates several different fairy tales into the main story.

The film is a fantasy musical with numerous songs performed by the cast and features a large ensemble of seasoned actors.

The classic fairy tales are modern versions of Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella.

The action mainly revolves around a baker and his wife (James Corden and Emily Blunt), who are sad and lonely because they cannot conceive a child due to a long-ago curse a witch played by Meryl Streep placed on the baker’s family.

Circumstances surrounding the baker’s father caused the once beautiful witch to be turned ugly.

The witch offers the baker and his wife a bargain: if they bring her four items (a white cow, a red cape, yellow hair, and a gold slipper) for a special potion, she will lift the curse, enabling them to conceive a child and live happily ever after.

This prompts the couple into the dark forest to obtain the requested items.

From this point, the couple intersects with other fairy-tale characters as they question various aspects of their lives.

The witch is Rapunzel’s adoptive mother and keeps her locked in a tower to protect her from the world.

Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) escapes her taunting stepsisters and attends a ball only to flee when noticed by the handsome prince (Chris Pine).

Jack tries to sell beans to provide food for his mother, and Little Red Riding Hood brings sweets to her Grandmother, but is confronted by the Big Bad Wolf (Johnny Depp) and a strange woman, a giant stomping through the forest searching for Jack.

All these stories revolve around the baker and his wife’s efforts to retrieve the witch’s requests.

The production and art direction are great. I love the dark, gloomy forest, which translates so well on screen and gives the magical effect of a mysterious, secret forest.

I enjoyed the songs quite a bit- especially the catchy “Into the Woods”. However, some of the songs are one-dimensional, bland, and hard to distinguish from each other, let alone remember.

The duet of the Princes, “Agony,” is silly and useless to the plot, with gyrations and dance moves.

Meryl Streep- dynamic in anything she appears in again steals the show as the vile witch turns beautiful at the end. She has a fantastic mid-story solo number, “Stay with Me.”

One drawback I found is that, at times, the film drags a bit, and I wasn’t sold on casting Anna Kendrick as Cinderella.  Something about her performance felt lacking; perhaps she wasn’t as sympathetic or convincing as another actress might have been.

Also, I would have enjoyed seeing Johnny Depp as the Wolf more prominently featured and the Woman Giant given a larger role. As integral as she is to the plot, it was tough to get a clear glimpse of her face, let alone anything more substantial.

An entertaining feast of fairy tales in one film, Into the Woods (2014) has some compelling moments but misses opportunities that keep it far from the reaches of a masterpiece status.

A solid film, but not a great film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Meryl Streep, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design