Into the Woods

I'd find it hard to imagine that anyone could have managed to make it through the last few months without hearing at least one excited statement about the new winter film phenomenon that is Into the Woods. I have not seen such a build up of eagerness and anticipation for a film in quite sometime but then again I guess such delirium is to be expected when a film has been in the pipelines for over twenty years. Yes that's right, the rights for Sondheim's musical fairy-tale mash up were first requested in the early 90's but after numerous attempts, by numerous directors, to take this tale to screen it seemed that the adaptation was going nowhere.
Thus, when in 2013 it was announced that Rob Marshall (Director of Chicago) had been given the green-light to direct a screen adaptation, backed by Disney, fans went mental. The feverish nature of these musical-theatre nerds only intensified as the dazzling cast was revealed with such names as Meryl Streep, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Johnny Depp, it seemed like the film was already destined for it's own happily ever after.
I must say I felt a near hipster level of protectiveness towards the musical when I walked into the cinema on it's opening UK release date. I'd already listened to the full soundtrack at least twenty times and had kept myself fully up to date on all the Into the Woods info that the internet had to offer but I was more than excited, I was dubious. It had been announced sometime ago that Disney were changing some of the major plot lines to make it more of a child-friendly film, and frankly where's the fun it in that!
With that said I eased back in my seat as the film began, realising that not quite as much as I had feared had actually been axed from the film, with the except of the Narrator and his gruesome demise. Although I'd already prepped myself  for the worst AND the best, I was quite content to just sit through  the two hours of just good musicalish fun that I was given.
There were some genuine moments where the acting of Emily Blunt as the Baker's wife seemed so real and starkly tender that she completely stole the show and everyone in the cinema seemed to forget about the rest of the star-studded cast singing their little hearts out. Two other close contenders as far as stealing the show goes, were the two young actors Daniel Huttlestone and Lilla Crawford who seem to have baffled most with their stupendous vocal abilities and offbeat delivery of lines.
But at the end of the day we all know who takes home the prize for entrancing the audience whether you heard on the news or online or haven't been told at all, it goes without saying that Meryl Streep was, as always, spellbinding. Despite spending the first half of the film dressed in what literally appeared to be a Halloween witch costume, complete with a backcombed blue wig, Streep flawlessly filled her role as the not-good-the-not-nice-the-just-right witch. And to be perfectly honest once they ran a brush through the wig...I mean once she transformed back to her beautiful self, blue hair really suited her.
While we are on the topic of actors worthy of a mention shall I bring up Chris Pine. Phwoar who'd have thought seeing the rugged Mr Pine mince around singing of his o-so tragic love life could be as startlingly attractive as it indeed was. To put this into context Pine played the role of Cinderella's Prince who was "raised to be charming, not sincere" and spent a vast majority of the movie seducing women in a surprisingly camp manner. Then in the song Agony, sung by the two princes, Pine proceeded to jump into a waterfall and rip his shirt open with frustration this was then followed by Rapunzel's Prince doing the same in a wittier but mildly lacklustre manner. Needless to say that in a cinema that seemed to be 80% female, this went down exceedingly well indeed. The excessive nature of this spoofery could have easily made any other musical unwatchable but for some inexplicable reason it simple made this one more gripping.
Although all the actors fulfilled their roles and seemed to please the wide fan base of musical nerds, it simply wasn't enough. And that's not to say I didn't find it a thoroughly enjoyable two hours, that's just the only way to express how unnecessary it was to make this stage-show a film. The only moment where I felt the plot benefitted from being on screen as opposed to stage was the volatile scene where the Baker's wife talks her self back into reality right before her untimely death. As I have previously mentioned Blunt's performance was beyond empathetic, it evoked pity which wouldn't have been nearly as effective without the aid of a close-up but that's about it. Even the angles at which the film was shot and the costumes of the character's felt sort of theatresque, it had no real impact on screen. In fact it sort of had no intended audience either, it was evidently too dark for most children which begs the question why did they take out the more risqué moments of the original script. For example the brutal death of Rapunzel or the illicit inmate exchange between the Baker's wife and Cinderella's Prince or even the additional subplot where the two princes explain their affairs with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Each and everyone of those subplots was put into the stage script for a intended purpose and that was to clarify that this was not a children's tale which is where I think Marshall and Disney have gone horrible wrong.
Although I loved this screen adaptation of Into the Woods, it was dreadfully misadvised and let both new audiences and old fans down. That being said I can still assure you that I will be watching this film over and over again but this with an idea of what to expect.