Into The Woods Blu-ray Review

Director: Rob Marshall

Cast: James Corden, Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Mackenzie Mauzy, Lilla Crawford, Billy Magnussen, Daniel Huttlestone, Lucy Punch, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Tracey Ullman, and Johnny Depp.

Certificate: PG

Run Time: 124 minutes

Special Features: Streep sings Sondheim “She’ll be back”, There’s Something About The Woods, The Cast As Good as Gold, Deeper Into The Woods, Audio Commentary with Rob Marshall and John Deluca, Music and Lyrics

Before we take a walk intrepidly through my Into The Woods review, I’ll make the confession that Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s classic is one of the only musicals I know really well. It comes from working at a famous outdoor theatre in London some years back and being part of the team who worked behind the version directed by Timothy Sheader. This was my first encounter with Sondheim and I came to realise quickly that his work is somewhat distinctive, and although there had been rumours over a big-screen adaptation for a long time, Disney’s all-star cast version was the first real possible money-spinner for the twisted tale.

So up stepped Rob Marshall, complete with musical experience with the likes of Chicago and Nine, to direct this multi-narrative musical that’s bathed in consequences that follow actions. The interweaving opening segment is hard enough to do on the stage and so with cinemascope, you have the advantage of cutting and changing the scene. Marshall achieves this with all the energy required, so we’re off to a good start. The obvious difference with this is the star actors attached and for me with this, casting is paramount and unlike Les Mis, where some were possibly picked for star-pulling power over singing talent, Into The Woods has pulled together an impressive cast that reflects the characters you know so well. Mostly.

Standout performances come from Kendrick as Cinderella, Corden as the Baker, Blunt as the Baker’s Wife and Chris Pine (Prince Charming) with the lesser-known names Mackenzie Mauzy and young Lilla Crawford impressing as Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood, respectively. Streep is strong as the Witch and although I sense one or two moments of over-production, she brings the right mix of darkness to the company. Our Wolf (Johnny Depp) is slightly contentious because he looks the part and brings a genuine mark on proceedings, the role would benefit from a more grit and growl. Nice suit though. There’s also a special mention for Tracey Ullman, as Jack’s mother, as it’s great to see her back in the big roles.

So, the most important part, the songs and their renditions. The Into The Woods Prologue is pretty darn perfect but that might be because it’s done as it should be and directed wonderfully, inter-weaving the stories and presenting us with the individual personalities. Other notable performances come for the songs It Takes Two, On The Steps of the Palace, Agony, A Very Nice Prince, Moments in the Woods, and Your Fault. I’m still not the biggest fan of Giants in the Sky, which was a tad bland, and I think The Last Midnight missed a touch of clout but the latter’s visuals took me over, and thus, they all won me over.

It’s an extraordinarily special piece of musical theatre and I’d say they’ve done the story proud and although, obviously, it’s not a perfect, the group all brings these roles to life. I’m glad it’s opened up to a whole new audience, because the story isn’t just a fairy tale. There’s a lot of death, continual consequence, parenting, growing up, and it’s all alongside a plethora of decisions and ultimatums that happen within songs and story progression. It’s a tough one to bring to life for anyone but I’ll be heading Into The Woods with the ensemble again soon.

Into The Woods is out now on digital download, Blu-ray and DVD from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.