Into the Woods (2014) review - Movie Thoughts (Chapter 29) 🌳

Hello everyone,

Today's film was an experience I really wished I enjoyed more. I am a musical theatre fiend, yet Sondheim is one of those composers who I haven't really been able to get into. Many of his works I'm still on the fence about. By concept alone, Into the Woods should be my favourite Sondheim show, and this film made me very excited to try and experience it in person on stage one day....

(**disclaimer: the following thoughts are 100% my opinion, you do not have to agree with them - film is inherently subjective and everyone's perspective is valid! Also, there are probably spoilers in the following, read at your own risk. Now onto some thoughts....**)

Source: IMDB

An adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s epic fairytale hurrah has been thirty years in the making with significantly mixed results. Director extraordinaire Rob Marshall knows his way around a musical classic after a little blockbuster called Chicago (2002); and taking on this Sondheim star was potentially dated for a text that birthed a genre of ‘what happens after happily ever after’ content. An aged witch (Meryl Streep) tasks a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) with a magical shopping list of well-known fairytale objects to reverse a curse placed on the couple’s ability to have children. An eclectic mix of plots that’s sung through in rhyming phrases and overlapping melodies, there was something about this film that didn’t quite hit its potential.

Visually, the aesthetic of spooky woods and a kingdom where magic beans and witchcraft are normal was present but slightly patchy in execution. Pockets of the effects were beautiful and intricate; especially the Witch’s smoke, anytime sorcery was ripping through screen, the wispy golden shine of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick)’s grave tree and the beanstalks climbing through the clouds. But other pockets were a little flat for a musical extravaganza set in such a fantastical setting. The intricacies of the woods lost that dark, twisted and spiky flavour; and just adding dark lighting to cover everything in shadows doesn’t cut it.

In line with evoking that magical atmosphere, Colleen Atwood’s costume designs were mature and exciting. The storm cloud blues and greys of The Witch’s colour palette was alluring and the perfect accent for her stormy and emotional characterisation. Cinderella’s gold festival dress was gorgeous and the signature shoes looked unique despite their simple silhouette. Red Riding Hood (Lilia Crawford)’s capes were generously flowing, accentuating the innocence and strength of this mischievous little girl.

Much like the visual exposition, the construction of the film itself also felt really inconsistent and exposed its length. So many stories were being stitched together through a winding map of Six Degrees of Separation, and although the clever brainwork to put all the pieces together was impressive, it felt increasingly long with a sub-par climax. In amongst James Lapine’s decisions to chop and change his original musical book, there were moments where the complex plot felt more like songs sung by iconic characters stitched together with cross-cuts of the woods because all of this chaos was happening in the woods. Something about the cohesiveness of the plot, direction and screenplay never properly clicked into place.

It was very obvious where the intermission would sit because of the chunky way the overarching plot developments are laid out. The first half (aka Act 1) was the treasure hunt/all-star fairytale mashup featuring the plots that are folklore by now. The back half (aka Act 2) involved messing with the familiar and placing a smattering of those fairytale characters against the beanstalk troll; investigating the notion of happy endings having consequences and generating new happy endings. This notion was a nice idea that was obvious in the case of Cinderella’s prince cheating on her and exposing his true douchebag tendencies, and the Baker’s existential crisis about his aptitude for fatherhood. What was more frustrating was how long winded conveying those ideas was in slowing down the pace of the film where it should have been building tension.

Without a doubt, Sondheim’s fantastic music was the driving force of storytelling and beautifully complex as always. His clear and distinctive cadence defined how these stories were expressed, and the clever but wordy lyrics convey a depth of emotion and reflection that is quite touching at times. That unique caveat did fall into a sort of mechanical formula after a while, but there were still dynamic and beautiful moments throughout. ‘No-One Is Alone’ encapsulated beautiful harmonies and earnest vulnerability in an unexpectedly gut-wrenching moment near the end. ‘Last Midnight’ was Streep’s goddess-level talent running free whilst also providing some thought-provoking exposition for The Witch’s motivations; whilst ‘Giants in the Sky’ had a childlike wonder that affirmed Jack (Daniel Huttlestone)’s reckless dreamer characterisation. Conversely, songs like ‘It Takes Two’ and ‘Moments In the Woods’ were frustratingly one-dimensional.

So many characters litter this film that it may seem overwhelming at times. A clever smorgasbord on paper, what was surprising about Marshall’s film iterations was the inconsistency of how this ensemble read onscreen despite a talented all-star cast. A surprising standout was the sweet kindness of Kendrick’s Cinderella and Streep’s Witch had the spunk to attract an Academy Award nomination; whilst Prince Charming (Chris Pine) and the Wolf (Johnny Depp) were underwhelmingly rough.

A degree of magic went missing in Sondheim’s ode to fairytales, but there were still moments of wisdom and vibrant lyrical brilliance to be had in Marshall’s star-studded cinematic concoction.

7.5/10, 3.5 STARS

Thanks for reading.

Love and a clever fairytale mashup phrase I can't think of right now, Emily 🌳