Ladies, Gents, and all those in between and beyond, I have a confession to make: I am a theater person. Yes, one of those local neighborhood eccentrics who enjoys a good musical romp, or perhaps an early evening Shakespeare indulgence. I am telling you this because try as I might I cannot be fully objective when it comes to Into the Woods. It is one of the most celebrated American musicals written by one of Broadways greatest legends: the one and only, Stephen Sondheim. So adapting this musical for the screen is no small feat, and I certainly had fairly high expectations. I wanted to LOVE this film, and well, instead I really enjoyed it. Which is still a great film watching experience just not the one I was expecting.
I believe my hang ups on the film come down to one simple thing, Into the Woods is such a self aware piece about storytelling. Specifically taking familiar stories and turning them on their head to make a point to a modern audience. So when the musical is staged this idea is well complimented by the medium of live theater, where anything can happen at a moments notice. Even the actors after months of rehearsal are not entirely in control of their surroundings on the stage. Where as film is an entirely different approach. Every frame, angle, and edit is carefully tailored which creates a much more controlled and very intentional environment. Ultimately, it felt rather like it had lost a certain energy in the new medium. And while I was okay with a majority of the cuts they made I did feel they should have kept Rapunzel's death and the Mysterious Man (Okay he is sorta there...but I mean the character as a whole) in the film because both of these components were important emotional plot points for other characters. However, these complaints aside the film is still worth the watch.
The singing across the board was well executed and beautifully matched the orchestrations. Honestly, hearing the songs set to a full orchestra is what I look forward to the most in film adaptions, and this one delivered. In addition, I felt this ensemble performed these more realistic fairytale characters quite well. Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Tracy Ullman all gave solid performances just to name a few. Now, just to be clear, I love Meryl Streep, and it's because I love her that I gotta say her first act Witch was a little overstated for me, I found myself being removed from the fiction because I was very aware of her acting. But her post-transformation witch was much more naturalistic and she truly disappeared into the part. So all is right with the world, and Meryl reigns supreme.
Another laudable aspect was the production design. The atmosphere was extremely well developed throughout with the lighting and costuming providing cohesion to this fairytale world. I liked how the film was dark but not too shadowy, matching the film's thematic purpose. It's message is clear and it's not pretty but its also true: You cannot let your individual longings blind you from the needs of others, because in the end you may not even know what you truly want. Which is a message that could not be more relevant to a modern audience.
Overall: This is a great story, I do feel that the stage version is stronger than this film, but the intent was there and execution is successful. And perhaps it was for the best that the film was not entirely what I anticipated. After all, be careful what you wish for. Happy Watching!
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