The Slippery Soapbox

[ctaulbee]

After recently seeing the trailer for this I was a little hyped to see it, I missed the part about it being a musical, I'm not a fan of said but with the all-star cast it had I thought how bad can it be?

Let me tell you, one should never ask that question when Hollywood is in the equation, you may not like the answer.

James Lapine’s story, plays like a nightmare the Grimm brothers had after a night of binge drinking, a true storyteller he uses his knowledge of the old children’s fables well enough I guess as he weaves them all together under the umbrella of individual destiny and then ties them to some nice songs penned by Stephen Sondheim.

How did all this get lost in the dreary fog of this uneven dreadful production you ask?

Well my theory is that Marshall is simply not the kind of director who can manage a musical successfully (judging by this one);  and in spite of the fact that his “Chicago” – a film I did not care for either – walked away with a healthy supply of Academy Awards, many years ago, did not help this one to rise above dreadful.

When it comes to comparative points with other recent musical adaptations, “Into the Woods” is not a badly made musical movie; it has ambition, heart and a sure sense of energy, whose only desire seems to be to put some sort of new spin on the age-old subject matter. In a lot of regards, it’s also very amusing and at times--for short periods--even entertaining.

Blunt, Depp, Streep and Ullman are all brilliant stars even here, and there are a few scenes throughout featuring them that shine. The problem here is that none of their presences are consistent, and in those lengthy in-between 'times' “Into the Woods” just wanes under a deadening series of moments in which characters sit around contemplating their fates with brooding to dire undertones, just boring me to tears.

I give it 2 stars out of 5 it was really just not engaging on any level for me.

Musical/Comedy 2014
Rated PG for thematic elements, fantasy action and peril, and some suggestive material

Running Time: 125 Minutes

Cast:
Anna Kendrick: Cinderella
Daniel Huttlestone: Jack
James Corden: Baker
Emily Blunt: Baker's Wife
Christine Baranski: Stepmother
Chris Pine: Prince Charming
Tracey Ullman: Jack's Mother
Lilla Crawford: Little Red Riding Hood
Meryl Streep: Witch
Johnny Depp: Wolf
Billy Magnussen: Rapunzel's Prince
Mackenzie Mauzy: Rapunzel

Produced by John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, Callum McDougal, Angus More Gorden, Marc Platt and Michael Zimmer
Directed by Rob Marshall
Written by James Lapine

[LusTm00rd]

I'm sorry to read you're a little disappointed about this movie. Looking forward to see this one too, although I have to wait a little longer for the premiere in my country.
Tnx for the review and I'll keep it in mind.

[ctaulbee]

You may like it more than I did, I'm a little biased due to the musical aspect of it which I'm not fond of

[VincentLupo]

I love the old time musicals so I'm always up for a new one.  I was very disappointed with Chicago too so I won't hold my breath for this one.  Thanks for the review.

[kylumi]

I'm not a fan of movie musicals myself....so based on CT's review, I will erase this one from my memory bank

[ctaulbee]

I looked at the theater audience exit polls, seems split about 50% liked it and 50% did not...

[Pico]

Will see it this weekend.

[bankska22]

Disappointed as well. Not into musicals. Just when it starts to get interesting, someone starts singing. No thanks!

[Pico]

Disappointed as well. Not into musicals. Just when it starts to get interesting, someone starts singing. No thanks!

I totally agree

[bankska22]

   

[ctaulbee]

It had potential to be a pretty good fairy tale flick until they threw the singing there lol...

[bankska22]

So true

[sam]

the singing is terrible, nothing for me

[bankska22]

 

[Pico]

It has so much potential without

[bankska22]

Wonder who had that idea.

[ctaulbee]

IDK but I doubt they are bragging about it at this point, I would not include that little tidbit in my portfolio...