Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I caught this one Christmas, many years ago, on BBC TV buried away at about 10 a.m. in the schedule. It entranced me right away and I made a point of searching out the eventual release of the DVD. Everyone in the production was marvellous and brought their characters to life. There is a great deal of marvellous humour and pathos throughout the show which the songs portray wonderfully. Sondheim's musical/lyrical genius runs throughout and I don't think could be bettered. I only hope that the new movie can live up to it. Bernadette Peters' witch is a hard act to follow and naturally I guess the film must be shorter than the stage production, which will affect it adversely. I remain open to be amazed - Rob Marshall's Chicago was a treat so I am hoping for a good experience when I see the movie. I update this review to mention the film - the film is a very different prospect- still hugely enjoyable but lots of great songs are missing from Rob Marshall's realisation of the play. I prefer the Broadway production and while the cast in the film are excellent they have a lot to live up to.

This has to be, hands down, the most wonderful musical I have ever seen! The cast was not to be outdone! The story line is fantastic! The writing was outstanding! And when you put it all together with the music, you end up with a tale that is familiar but at the same time new, seen from perspectives you never imagined before... charming... hilarious... and even a little sad. It is so special to find something that can evoke so many emotions, and the production quality was amazing. I have seen this and listened to it so many times, and it never gets old! Bernadette Peters made the production! But you will love the entire cast! Not a dud in the bunch!

James LaPine and Stephan Sondheim are brilliant together. James LaPine did a tremendously awesome job directing and Stephan Sondheim's heart-wrenching and extraordinary musical score made Into The Woods a legendary musical and the cast made it memorable. Chip Zien was zany and offbeat as the baker. Ben Wright was lively and imaginary as jack. Chuck Wagner was charismatic and hilarious as Rapunzel's Prince. Kim Crosby was lovable and dreamy as Cinderella. Robert Westenberg was Territoral as the wolf and serious as Cinderella's Prince. Joanna Gleason was an original as the baker's wife. Tom Aldridge was perfect as the narrator and was a mystery and complicated as the mysterious man who happened to be the baker's father. Pamela Winslow was perfect as Rapunzel's even thou she went mad. The most unique character of all of the character's is the Witch, Bernadette Peters once again proves that she is magical on-stage. The set's are amazing, the lighting is perfect and the special effects are incredible. The songs were all very touching, heartfelt and beautiful especially Your Fault/Last Midnight, Stay with me and Children will listen.

One of the great Stephen Sondheim's last great musicals combines four favorite fairy tales to make one classical epic: "Cinderella," "Jack & The Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding-Hood," and "Rapunzel." A fifth story is, of course, needed to bind them together, which comes here in the story of a poor baker and his wife who wish for a child, and to get it, strike a bargain with a witch to fetch the ingredients for a potion: "The cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, and the slippers as pure as gold." The baker rescuesRed Riding-Hood from the wolf and is rewarded with her cloak, and then sellsthe beans to Jack for his cow, while his wife plucks a hair from Rapunzel in her tower, and relieves Cinderella of her last shoe, since she is having troubleescaping in one high-heeled slipper. Over the first act, we see the stories unfold just as we know them from our childhood, ending with "Happily ever after." In the second act, however, the characters' continuing stories are shown as not ashappy as we thought. Cinderella and Rapunzel's princes have lost their hearts' desires in the having of them, and start chasing after Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Red Riding-Hood has become obsessed with killing wolves, anddefending herself. Rapunzel, simultaneously missing her Witch-mother andhating her, has moments of hysteria. As for the Baker, he feels insecure as a father, and his wife wishes their house were bigger. And the Giant's wife comes down another beanstalk to get revenge on Jack for murdering her husband.Disaster strikes when, in desparation, the characters sacrifice the Narrator to the Giant, and thus destroy the person keeping the stories in order. Chaos ensues as the black and white so well divided before flow together. Heroes lie, Witches are right, Giants are good, heroes die. But still, the characters are able to stay together and defeat the giant and resolve their stories on their own. The moral of the story is simple: Learn from the stories, but don't live by them, as sung by the legendary Bernadette Peters as the Witch. She proves amazingly good atplaying the hideous old crone, and later becomes more of a Gothic beauty,more suited to her beautiful voice and fantastic acting skills (Last Midnight, who would have thought a waltz could be so chilling?) The rest of the originalBroadway cast is also fabulous. Danielle Ferland is delightful as Red Riding- Hood, a Shirley Temple with a delightful mean streak. Robert Westenbergmakes the Prince funny and sad, and as the Wolf, brings out the lustfulundertones of the character, and Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason evokememories of Desi and Lucy as the married couple, while Kim Crosby is asurprisingly independent Cinderella. All the cast sings one of Sondheim'sstrongest scores, and brings the musical into the range of 10/10.