I was sent a copy of Into the Woods to review. As always, all opinions are my own.
If you have never seen Into the Woods and I told you it was about the woods outside a small town and how small the world really is, would you believe me? The movie is basically a series of happenstance and fairy tale characters (and stories) keep colliding to make a beautiful movie. I was fortunate enough to get to see this movie while three children cried about everything in the world the first time (notice the sarcasm) so I missed a lot. Luckily I was sent the Blu-ray to review so I was able to watch it at night while everyone was in bed. When I first saw the preview for this I didn’t expect there to be as much singing. I know. I know. That is silly. But honestly I love it. I LOVE musicals. I love even random song moments in movies and I really love Broadway which is where this movie started. Steven Sondheim’s classic musical Into the Woods is amazing and I had always wanted to see it live. Now I have seen this movie and I want to do that even more. Its never going to happen but a girl can dream. I like a lot of things about this movie and I shall tell you some in no order at all really.
The Costumes!
If you didn’t see my post on the Amazing Into the Woods Concept Art from Costume Designer Colleen Atwood then you should click that link and check it out. Everyone looked amazing. You can also see some of the concept art in this slideshow. I adored Little Red Riding Hood’s cloak. I had never seen it like that and I want one. Not in red though. Price of being a redhead.
The Actors!
Tony-winner James Corden and Golden Globe-winner Emily Blunt play as The Baker and his Wife. I think they did fantastically. They really made the movie as the centers of the plot and I just love Emily Blunt’s voice. Anna Kendrick has been a favorite of mine since Pitch Perfect so I knew she would be great but I kind of didn’t like a couple of her scenes. I think they should have let her let loose more. Meryl Strep was also pretty awesome. Every time she lunged at the Baker and his Wife I jumped. The pure joy on her face as she transformed as well as that natural smugness just shows you how great of an actress she is.
The Underlying Themes
Yeah I spent the whole movie going what? What? WHAT? I think the movie followed the play amazingly and does get kind of….Well. It is light-hearted with it and my kids didn’t notice. I mean they noticed when the birds pecked out the step-sisters eyes and they knew the step-mother was cutting something off her girls even with the cut scene but even cartoons have scenes where a character blows up or gets ‘eaten’. They also caught the “listen to your mother” thing well and informed me that Red Riding Hood should have listened. Tons of scenes show you that what you wish for may not be what you really want. Original fairy tales used to be stories passed down to warn of the dangers of the world. This movie gives homage to that.
All in all, I really liked it. I think its really long though. It definitely keeps your attention. The music is great, I loved Chris Pine’s “Agony”! Everyone should add this one to their collection. After all, it really is a hodgepodge of all our favorite stories meshed into one changing, evolving story. You can check out some fun filmmaking facts. It had a great set, great costumes, great cast, great music, and its a favorite in my household. What more could you ask for?
You can purchase “Into the Woods” on Blu-ray on Amazon
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You can also enter to win Into the Woods until APRIL 7th!
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