Review of Into the Woods (2014) by Alexis H — 10 Apr 2015

I went into this movie knowing nothing about the stage musical or even what the story was, and all I have to say is wow!

Rob Marshall directs in such a way that it literally feels as though the play was simply pumped up with steroids. He pulls performances from his actors that feel very reminiscent of a stage play. Similar to the way he directed CHICAGO. He finds layers of dramatic heft in the midst of all the craziness as well. Particularly from the baker and his wife.

All of the performances are stellar, but I must say that my personal favorites were Daniel Huttlestone and Emily Blunt.

Huttlestone brings such a brightness to everything he's in. He has an incredible ability that not a lot of young actors have: he can sing like nobody's business and he can emote while doing so. It sounds simple, but it makes a big difference.

Also, I had no idea that Emily Blunt could sing, but she was phenomenal. She achieves something that's difficult, particularly in musicals, which is she's believable. Generally in musicals the tone is set very over-the-top and melodramatic. Emily achieves that and she also achieves a level of dramatic believability.

Overall, this was a beautiful Disney extravaganza that loses a little steam in the second half, but is ultimately still a brilliant movie! It's uplifting, it's bright, and it's just downright fun! I loved it!