Into The Woods is a magical story filled with hilarious dialogue, catchy songs and an emotive narrative.
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Music and lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Starring: James Corden, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp
Genre: Musical
Rating: PG
This film is a true fairytale masterpiece that is both funny yet moving.
It follows the story of the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) who go ‘into the woods’ to search for objects that will reverse a curse placed on their family by a witch (Meryl Streep).
Through their story, they meet a variety of familiar fairytale characters including dashing princes, devious wolves and magic beanstalks.
Into The Woods brings together a group of familiar characters in to one story including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel.
As a musical, it was unsurprising that there would be a splendour of songs but what was truly surprising was how catchy the songs were.
With music and lyrics written by Stephen Sondheim of the Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street fame, there were similarities between the two productions.
The song that really made the audience roar with laughter was Agony sung by the two princes, played by Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen.
During this song, both the lyrics and the acting were truly hilarious as the two princes competed against each other over which suffered ‘agony’ more.
It was an outstanding performance from Pine and Magnussen and the laughter filled the cinema.
It really should also be stated that Johnny Depp as the devious, blood-thirsty yet also quite seductive wolf was a fantastic performance.
Despite only being in the film for a short period, Depp showed just how talented an actor and singer he is and it was both hilarious yet disconcerting to watch him try and seduce the young Red Riding Hood.
With a cast including the fantastic Meryl Streep, the brilliant James Corden and the magnificent Daniel Huttlestone as Jack and Lilla Crawford as Red, it was Emily Blunt’s portrayal as the Baker’s Wife that stuck out.
Blunt showed how much of a dedicated actor she is through her performance. The fact that she was able to perform perfectly pitched songs and brilliant acting to a high standard whilst pregnant was a true inspiration.
Directed by Rob Marshall, who was at the helm of the 2002 film adaptation of Chicago, he brought to life the stage show that debuted in 1986 and had a run on Broadway, with beautiful shots, perfect casting choices and fantastic vocal harmonies.
The film was a true adaptation of the original Grimm fairytales and was darker yet at the same time, it had an added element of humour that made the film suitable for the entire family and you will no doubt be humming the songs on the journey home.
What makes the production great is that isn’t your average fairy tale story and most certainly does not end with a ‘happily ever after’ like most Disney fairytales.
It is a thrilling fairytale that is perfect for all the family – but be careful what you wish for.
Verdict
Watch the trailer here:
