INTO THE WOODS

A witch tasks a childless baker and his wife with procuring magical items from classic fairy tales to reverse the curse put on their family tree. —IMDB

In one sense, INTO THE WOODS is quite clever in its attempt to integrate more than four fairy tales into one. I understand it is based on a stage play - and it feels that way at times. Somehow, it doesn’t quite hit the mark. I think it’s the music which, is too similar all the way through. I don’t like it when normal speech is forced into singing. My preference is for songs that are discreet and used sparingly and at the right times rather than almost every word of a script having to be sung. Meryl Streep is pretty good as the witch and supporting cast put in worthy efforts. It’s also uneven - a large proportion of the movie is quite dark but then it seems to lose its way. I would have preferred the whole movie be made for adults and sustain the darkness and ambiguity. Overall, it’s ok but nothing brilliant. And it’s definitely not a kids film. The PG rating is earned so I’d recommend parents watching the movie before taking the kids - or at least doing some research about it before deciding.