page_title: Into the Woods (film)
section_title: Critical response
hierarchical_section_title: Into the Woods (film) / Reception / Critical response
caption_attribution_description: Meryl Streep At The 2014 SAG Awards
context_page_description: Into the Woods is a 2014 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall, and adapted to the screen by James Lapine from his and Stephen Sondheim's 1986 Broadway musical of the same name. A Walt Disney Pictures production, it features an ensemble cast that includes Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ullman, Christine Baranski, Lilla Crawford, Daniel Huttlestone, MacKenzie Mauzy, Billy Magnussen and Johnny Depp. Inspired by the Grimm Brothers' fairy tales of "Little Red Riding Hood", "Cinderella", "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Rapunzel", the film is a fantasy genre centered on a childless couple, who set out to end a curse placed on them by a vengeful witch. Ultimately, the characters are forced to experience the unforeseen consequences of their actions.
  After several unsuccessful attempts by other studios and producers to adapt the musical to film, Disney announced in 2012 that it was producing an adaptation, with Marshall directing and John DeLuca serving as producer. Principal photography commenced in September 2013, and took place entirely in the United Kingdom, including at Shepperton Studios in London.
context_section_description: The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 71% based on 221 reviews, with an average rating of 6.55/10. The site's consensus reads: "On the whole, this Disney adaptation of the Sondheim classic sits comfortably at the corner of Hollywood and Broadway—even if it darkens to its detriment in the final act." Another review aggregator, Metacritic, calculate a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, audiences gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
  Streep was immensely applauded for her performance as the Witch, with many critics and audiences believing she was the film's heart. Lou Lumenick of the New York Post called her and Blunt's portrayals as "two of the greatest female performances of the year". Susan Wloszczyna for RogerEbert.com praised Streep's performances of the songs "Stay with Me" and "Last Midnight", and summed her performance up as leaving "practically everyone else in the dust and by design."
  The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film "benefits from respect for the source material, enticing production values and a populous gallery of sharp character portraits from a delightful cast". Stephen Holden of The New York Times lauded the film, writing; "Into the Woods, the splendid Disney screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical, infuses new vitality into the tired marketing concept of entertainment for 'children of all ages'". Leonard Maltin called the movie as "one of the year's best films". Similarly, Pete Hammond of Deadline praised the film as "the most dazzling movie musical since Marshall's own Chicago." and praised the performance of the cast, particularly Streep. Lou Lumerick of the New York Post called the film "this century's best musical" and lauded the performances of Streep and Blunt as the best female performances of the year. Scott Mendelson of Forbes gave a positive review declaring the film "Rob Marshall's best movie ever" and praised it for its genuine entertainment and strong cast performances. Richard Corliss of Time gave a positive review, stating that the film was a "smart, appealing, upside-down children's story for adults of all ages". Gregory Ellwood of HitFix tapped Streep as an Academy Award contender in the Best Supporting Actress category, and also praised the performance of Chris Pine.
  Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair, Karen D'Souza of the San Jose Mercury News, and Dana Stevens of Slate all published critical reviews of the film.  All three found much to like in the acting (especially Blunt and Pine's performances), but all three also concluded that after the various cuts and changes, the final version of the film had failed to adequately preserve the power of the dark existentialist message at the heart of the original musical's second act. Stevens characterized the result as a "generic dystopian bummer," while Lawson criticized the film as a "dutiful but perfunctory adaptation" which lacked "genuine heart". Paul Katz of The Huffington Post felt the change in tone between the last two acts was too abrupt, and also criticized the film's faithfulness to the stage musical. Conversely, Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post disliked the performances by Streep and Depp, while simultaneously calling the film's first two acts a "surprising delight".
caption: Meryl Streep's performance as The Witch received critical acclaim from critics, and would earn the actress a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
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