Into The Woods Review

Finally got to see Into The Woods

SPOILER FREE

Let me start off by saying I enjoy the genre of musicals though it is not my favorite one of them all. When musicals are great, they have me, when their not, i'm disconnected from them. This one's a catch because it takes a bunch of classic fairy tale stories along with a talented cast and rolls them all into one with a stunning background and strong soundtrack. It's essentially the perfect film to release during the winter season, and is sure to fight hard for some awards recognition. So how good is Into the Woods as a film?

It's pretty good. The cast is a big factor in what makes it such an appealing film with Anna Kendrick in the lead role, followed by a supporting cast of Meryl Streep, Tracy Ullman, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp, and Chris Pine. The plot of the film centers around a witch tasking a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put in their family tree. The film meshes the storylines of Cinderella and Repunzel together, while also giving them interesting plot twists. The tone is darker in this adaptation but that isn't a factor that harms the movie, but rather makes it more appealing towards a newer generation. Into The Woods thrives on the nostalgia of the classic stories and the energy of it's actors involved with their stellar performances. Once again Meryl Streep proves to audiences that she is the acting goddess and should have a separate category for her in every academy awards ceremony here on out. No other female actress out there has enjoyed a track record as incredible as hers. She appears to be having a lot of fun with this part and sings her ass off with some remarkable makeup effects. Anna Kendrick turns in a worthy performance as Cinderella, giving us the image of the iconic character we've all grown up to live and giving her own interpretation of it. This girls been on a roll since she turned in a strong likeable Oscar nominated performance in Up In The Air. The darker tone of the story is what makes the film work, adding a new flavor to old concepts and keeping the interest of the audience fixated on the tale that's being unfolded infront of them. The film moves at a reasonably fast pace never feeling truly slow or too quick, and the musical ques are spread out throughout the film, not forced on you like the 2012 drama Les Miserables made the mistake of doing (I did like that one very much though). The only criticism that can really be drawn from the film is it might fall  a little too much on the dark aspect of the story making it feel like a Tim Burton world and too frightening for kids. I can definitely see some people taking issue with that but I personally feel the new look of the stories is what makes it work and is what will draw in newer fans both old and young.

Into The Woods is hands down the years best musical and one of the best movies of 2014. Those who have been waiting for this movies release and going into it with great anticipation will get their moneys worth. Whether it will land a Best Picture nomination in the academy awards top 10 list is a matter of speculation. My feeling is it might just miss it but will garner well deserved noms for Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt,  art-set decoration, makeup, costume design, score, and cinematography. If you're looking for a grand musical with strong storytelling, darker atmosphere and lots of imagination, then this is your ticket.

                                                                                                                                            8.5/10