*Sigh* Alright. Here we go again because I rewatched one of my favorite movie musicals – Into the Woods – as an adult now, and boy, do I have thoughts.
This isn’t my first time in the musical rewatch rodeo. I’ll be honest and say I freaking love movie musicals, from classic movie musicals to modern ones. I used to dig them so much as a kid because I loved to sing, dance and watch movies – how can you get any better than a movie musical? Some of my favorites have been both Mamma Mia! and Hairspray. I even rewatched Mamma Mia! and had so many thoughts.
But there are some movie musicals that, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned aren’t the best adaptations of the stage productions they are based on. Les Misérables, for example, is one that I used to love as a child, but I watched Les Mis as an adult for the first time, and my opinion completely changed.
I started to think – if my opinion could change for Les Misérables, because I know more about stage production now, could it change for other movie musicals that I used to adore? So I decided to put this question into practice by rewatching Into the Woods, the movie musical starring Meryl Streep that was released nearly ten years ago. And now, of course, I better understand what the musical is supposed to be like.
And oh boy. We have to talk.
I Still Believe That Meryl Streep Is The Best Part Of This Movie, That Hasn’t Changed
Meryl Streep is a gift to this world; we must protect her at all costs.
I’ve been a massive fan of Meryl Streep for a long time. I mean, who isn’t? She’s probably one of the biggest stars on the planet, and she has been nominated for over 20 Oscars, talk about impressive!
She’s skillful in her craft. And she’s a star, from the best Meryl Streep movies to her parts in TV shows.
That doesn’t change for her role in Into the Woods. While there are other casting choices I’ll get into in a bit, Streep was probably the best person for the Witch. She’s a brilliant actress, and she can portray the being from the stage production very well. Obviously, she also has a great voice, a dramatic one that booms off the screen. I’ll fully listen to her “Last Midnight” recording in my car as I drive.
But I Can Not Stand Most Of These Casting Choices Now
Man, who cast this movie? It was like after Streep was cast, it was a downhill slide or even a nosedive. Alright, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but when you look at the casting choices for some of these characters, they don’t make sense and don’t fit.
For example – Anna Kendrick. I love her. There are so many great Anna Kendrick movies out there, and low and behold, I love the film Pitch Perfect and will fully rewatch it any time. However, something about her does not scream Cinderella.
When I think of Cinderella, I think of someone who is bubbly and peppy and while I’ve seen Kendrick do that, I don’t think that she fully takes on the role of Cinderella. It doesn’t feel like I’m watching a character — rather, it feels like I’m seeing Anna Kendrick dress up in costume instead of becoming Cinderella.
Also, I know that James Corden has done theater work, but him as the Baker does not sit well with me. Again, the Baker is such a serious character in the stage production, as he would do anything to help his family. I look at James Corden, and I see him so much more as a comedic actor rather than someone who can portray the raw and dark moments that the show has.
To be honest, I could think of many other musical actors that could have done an excellent job. I’m not entirely sure why Corden was the pick. Either way, I don’t know where the casting went off the rails.
The Music Is Relatively Still Well-Done
So I’ll praise the film and say I still enjoy the music. I remember when I first heard the soundtrack to the movie, I was enthralled with it, and I instantly downloaded the entire score and soundtrack when I got home.
I listened to it nonstop for a good few weeks before it wound up mixed in with all my other music on shuffle. But, even today, I’ll take a moment to belt out “Last Midnight” or “Any Moment” or even the freaking prologue, because it’s well done, I’ll admit it.
But There Are Also Some Songs From The Stage Production That Were Removed For Some Reason, And Other Changes
Even though the music is well-executed, I still need to figure out how I feel about the movie altering or outright removing several pieces. The film omitted several reprises and other songs. While I understand the need to keep the runtime reasonable, they could have included these songs if they wanted.
“Ever After” served as the Act 1 finale in the original production, setting the stage for Act 2 and propelling the entire story forward. However, it was left out of the film, and it turned into an instrumental piece. Another song that was cut was the reprise of “Agony.” The same thing happened to “No More,” which was also turned into an instrumental piece rather than a performance.
It almost felt like the situation with Mulan, where they cut the songs from the live-action adaptation, even though the music was an integral part of what made the original movie exceptional.
This Is Also Way Lighter Than The Musical, Which I’m Not A Fan Of
As a teenager, I didn’t know how dark the original musical was, but I wanted to see an accurate version of this story where everything dark in the stage production happens in the movie.
The stage musical of Into the Woods has so many dark moments, from the Baker’s Wife getting squashed by the giant to Rapunzel turning mad and also getting killed, to so much more, not only did it add intensity to the production but it added stakes — which the film severely lacked.
I’m not sure if it’s because Disney distributed and made the film, so they felt that they had to cut the darkness down to appeal to a broader audience, but man, the movie we could have had would be a fantasy film for the ages.
Also, Where’s The Narrator?
So, the narrator of the stage production is who we rely on to keep us on track with the story if we need to catch up in any way. We should be paying attention, but with a story like Into the Woods, it can take a lot of work to navigate all the different levels to determine where we are and the time frame. That’s why the narrator is there to aid us.
The movie completely abandons this. Why? I’m not sure. The narrator plays an essential role in the stage production, and, shockingly, he’s omitted from the movie adaptation. The narrator is a distinctively “theater” element, but they are also well-established in movies, so it’s unclear why they chose to discontinue this practice.
I Still Enjoyed The Movie, But It’s Not My Favorite Anymore
I still enjoy watching this movie. It’s an entertaining musical with plenty of incredible scenery and good music, and the visual effects are pretty fun to watch. The acting from Streep is astonishing, as always, and she was very deserving of that Academy Award nomination.
But this movie now sits behind a lot of other films. I wouldn’t consider myself a theater person by any means, but I will say that having a better understanding – and appreciation – of the stage production opened my eyes to this movie and why many people who love the original musical aren’t big fans of it.
Do I still like it? Of course. But I don’t think it’s up there with my favorites anymore – I think I’ll place it behind many other great ones.
Plenty of great movie musicals are out there, but I just needed to talk about Into the Woods to get my thoughts and feelings out. Either way, it’s time to use my Disney+ subscription, have a Disney movie musical marathon and get the karaoke machine out to sing along.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
