I saw this movie, and everything was *awesome!*...
...until Act I ends.
Before I get to negatives, let me say the music is very faithfully reproduced here. The singing is good (in some cases great), the acting is good, the costumes and "sets" are also often good. Everything was in place to make this the definitive version of Into The Woods...
...and then they threw Act II out the window.
People unfamiliar with the musical might not notice or care about the changes to Act II (or technically Act III), but fans of the musical should be warned that this show is completely drained of all gravitas and pathos. Also, several wonderful songs have been cut- it will tick you off.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!
So if you've seen the musical, you know how Act II goes. More importantly, you know the great songs there. Well for some reason (PG rating, perhaps), Disney has cut everything about Act II that gives the entire show meaning.
#1- Rapunzel does not die. This ruins the Witch's arc in Act II. No reprise of Children Don't Listen, and the witch leaves the movie rather abruptly in Last Midnight. And of course, Rapunzel is almost completely pointless to the story now, since nothing bad ever happens to her and her prince stays happily married to her, which brings me to...
#2- No second "Agony." This was my favorite song in the damn show, and they cut it. Of course, the cut everything building up to this too- We don't get to see the princes and their wives tire of married life, nor do the baker and his wife, which comes to...
#3- The Baker and his wife have no troubles in Act II. There's no fall from grace for these two- they never have to deal with a stressful marriage. The wife only kisses the prince (no sex), and the action leading up to that point is far from justified. Her lyrics about "And/Or/Both" are groundless here- it's still a fun song, but there's no reason for her to be singing it.
#4- No Narrator. He shows up as an apparition, but does not get to sing "no more," which is the other best song in the musical. This also hastens the Baker's journey- while he still hits the main points of his arc, we're denied any real struggle here.
#5- Arguably, the entire point of the musical is missing. The stage version breaks down "happily ever after" and teaches a real lesson about loss and how gray the world really is. The movie...does not.
So I can't really recommend this to fans of the musical, unless you can accept the loss of Act II. People unfamiliar with the musical might still enjoy it.
...until Act I ends.
Before I get to negatives, let me say the music is very faithfully reproduced here. The singing is good (in some cases great), the acting is good, the costumes and "sets" are also often good. Everything was in place to make this the definitive version of Into The Woods...
...and then they threw Act II out the window.
People unfamiliar with the musical might not notice or care about the changes to Act II (or technically Act III), but fans of the musical should be warned that this show is completely drained of all gravitas and pathos. Also, several wonderful songs have been cut- it will tick you off.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!
So if you've seen the musical, you know how Act II goes. More importantly, you know the great songs there. Well for some reason (PG rating, perhaps), Disney has cut everything about Act II that gives the entire show meaning.
#1- Rapunzel does not die. This ruins the Witch's arc in Act II. No reprise of Children Don't Listen, and the witch leaves the movie rather abruptly in Last Midnight. And of course, Rapunzel is almost completely pointless to the story now, since nothing bad ever happens to her and her prince stays happily married to her, which brings me to...
#2- No second "Agony." This was my favorite song in the damn show, and they cut it. Of course, the cut everything building up to this too- We don't get to see the princes and their wives tire of married life, nor do the baker and his wife, which comes to...
#3- The Baker and his wife have no troubles in Act II. There's no fall from grace for these two- they never have to deal with a stressful marriage. The wife only kisses the prince (no sex), and the action leading up to that point is far from justified. Her lyrics about "And/Or/Both" are groundless here- it's still a fun song, but there's no reason for her to be singing it.
#4- No Narrator. He shows up as an apparition, but does not get to sing "no more," which is the other best song in the musical. This also hastens the Baker's journey- while he still hits the main points of his arc, we're denied any real struggle here.
#5- Arguably, the entire point of the musical is missing. The stage version breaks down "happily ever after" and teaches a real lesson about loss and how gray the world really is. The movie...does not.
So I can't really recommend this to fans of the musical, unless you can accept the loss of Act II. People unfamiliar with the musical might still enjoy it.