Into The Woods

If you go down in the woods today you’re sure to find....a number of Hollywood stars in a somewhat mixed bag of musical mayhem. Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 musical Into The Woods gets the big screen treatment with Tinseltown's great and the good (and lots of others you’ll never have heard of) pitching in to the story of a crossover between a number of fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella etc.). The loose plot thread running through it all concerns a childless couple (James Corden and Emily Blunt) who have to collect a number of items for a hideous beast. A bit like one of those episodes of The Apprentice, then. The tone is all over the place at times (chopping off bits of feet!), no doubt as a result of trying to make the film more marketable (the play is significantly more violent), but without losing that Grimm-edge. The last time he picked up a megaphone (for the most recent installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series) director Rob Marshall sent everyone to sleep, but here the man behind Chicago and Nine is back on safer territory. The majority of the songs come alive thanks to his skill in moving the camera around, though some tread a thin line between enjoyment and endurance. The acting honours go to Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine (clearly having fun hamming it up as Cinderella’s Prince in waiting), especially as the rest of the cast is spread somewhat unevenly re lines and screen presence. Overall, a decent effort, but its confusion re what level of mood to pitch itself at means the whole things lacks heart. Rating: 6/10.