Review of Into the Woods (2014) by Chris M — 18 Aug 2015

I've not seen the play, so can't comment on how well the film does or doesn't translate its source... but I can comment that I think the film is a complete mess, despite there being a few good things to like about it.

Meryl Streep is great, proving (as proof were needed) that Mamma Mia is a total abhorrence, a crime against cinema. Indeed, most of the cast are pretty good, including a great cameo from Johnny Depp. I liked the mash-ups of the different fairy tales, at least at first, but after the first hour everything just goes wrong.

Apparently I'm the only person who thinks that "Agony" is a factual description of that song/scene, not just the title. If it's going for satire, it misses by a long, long way. The plot machinations are ridiculous, I started disliking the Baker and his wife despite them being the supposedly sympathetic protagonists. Characters start making unexplained and idiotic decisions, other characters vanish and never reappear, the songs get worse and that 2nd hour feels like a week. It made no sense to me, even in a world of fairy tales. Worst film I've seen in a while...