‘Into The Woods’ Review: Disney Adaptation Of Sondheim Hit A Success; Stellar Cast Delivers To Expectations; Emily Blunt Said They Failed The Table Reading Even After Weeks Of Rehearsals!
Every "Into the Woods" review confirms the film adaptation of the Broadway hit was as faithful as a Disney movie can get.
Critics had reservations prior to offering an "Into the Woods" review, since Broadway-to-film adaptations are often hit-or-miss ventures. It's fortunate Disney hit most marks right in the movie, even though the translation may have lost some of the edge that made the Stephen Sondheim original a hit.
One reviewer asserted Stephen Sondheim and Walt Disney are practically worlds apart, but "Into the Woods" proves the two can meet at the middle without compromising artistic license.
"Yes, songs and characters have, necessarily, been cut. But this adaptation (done by James Lapine, who wrote the book for the original show) does a good job of keeping not only the interwoven stories (primarily "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Cinderella") but Sondheim's larger (and, especially for Disney), quite bolder themes about desire, innocence and what happens after the ever-after." (nj.com)
A first-rate cast delivers to the demands of the film, headlined by Meryl Streep as the Witch. Anna Kendrick also shines pitch perfect as the damsel in distress, hitting the right notes for her character; she's not the stereotyped Cinderella viewers might expect.
The entire movie is sung; Emily Blunt, who played the unsatisfied Baker's Wife, admitted the cast only did the table reading after weeks of rehearsal. Everyone wanted to polish their lines as much as possible prior to the road test.
"The first time we did the prologue, our musical director, this wonderful man named Paul Gemignani, who is this huge guy who always wears these big '70s glasses, turned to us and said, 'Well, that was a disaster!' [Laughs] He thought that was just awful. But we got better!" (cinemablend.com)
Early "Into the Woods" review preempts audience response, though; the movie screens on theaters today.
