​FILMS

into the woods

2015 review number 5:

Into the Woods: (Musical/Adventure): 75 out of 100: Based on the popular Broadway stage musical, "Into the Woods" will appeal to musical fans but might not lure the musical detractors. There are many songs in this production with some of the dialogue sung which might annoy those who don't like characters frequently breaking out in song. Listen carefully to the lyrics though and you will take great joy out of this "dialogue".

"Into the Woods" combines many classic fairytales to cleverly weave into one whole story. There are the characters from "Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Rapunzel". Meryl Streep plays the witch who has cast a spell on a young couple so they won't be able to have a child. To break the spell so she can look beautiful again, the couple played by Corden and Blunt must gather four items. In doing so, they cross paths with several characters from other fairytales to form a twisted tale.

Although the lyrics are very clever, the songs aren't very memorable. Stephen Sondheim is the composer whose lyrics were also in one of my favourite musicals of all time "West Side Story". I think he is more of a lyricist than a musical composer. The songs themselves are performed brilliantly by the main cast and it was a surprise to discover that some of them can actually sing. Meryl Streep has been nominated yet again for an Oscar but she could be nominated for reading out the names in a telephone directory.

The technical aspects of this film are superb ranging from the costumes to the production design. The visual and sound effects also help bring the characters to life. Some of the scenes are murky, however that could be attributed to the setting of the story so in this instance, the 'darkness' serves its purpose well.

If you love musicals as much as I do, you should find "Into the Woods" to be an enjoyable experience. It is not in my top 20 musicals but it's still an entertaining film nonetheless.

Starring Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Meryl Streep
(125 minutes)
Parental advice: Low level violence
Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, Cinderella says "I wish" just after the main credits
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L6Yz5BRMGIQ (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Monday 19th January, 2015)

 

For my latest reviews, go to this link: http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review