Review of Into the Woods (2014) by Slayde11 — 27 Dec 2014

This is one of the most captivating and affecting film adaptations of a stage musical I've seen! As a word of caution, do NOT presume that because the plot is based upon "interwoven fairy tales" this is intended to be a feel-good kids' movie.

Acquaint yourself with the (excellent) 3-hour Sondheim musical and you'll soon realize that the aim of this story is to explore what occurs *beyond* the happy endings. The events of the second half are dark, yes; but the overall message is hopeful (listen to the words of the movie's final two songs).

Certain changes and omissions were necessary to get the film version down to a palatable running length, and huge fans of the stage musical may be put off by some of these. Personally, though, I feel that they were appropriate given the totally different demands of each medium.

I was blown away by the performances and the amazing vocal talents of the cast as a whole. The actors pulled off those notoriously intricate Sondheim arrangements beautifully -- and there are many moments of humor to lighten the mood.

In particular, Chris Pine as the "charming-not-sincere" prince gave an especially funny, tongue-in-cheek performance. This movie is a reflection of life itself with a magical fairy tale twist: colorful, touching, energetic, humorous, sad, ultimately uplifting and so very, very well done.