Into the Woods Official Movie Thread — Page 187

So, J_Jammer has literally never posted about anything but this movie. And he can't let a single criticism of it go by unchecked. He can't even let a single comment about what might have been done differently go by unchecked. Curious, no?

It's the only musical I actually like.

and the Big Mouse wasn't breathing down his neck. Tgere were compromises that hed to be made. I don't see how it's not darker in the film. Considering there's no happy final song to lighten the mood where you see the whole cast back.

"and the Big Mouse wasn't breathing down his neck. Tgere were compromises that hed to be made. I don't see how it's not darker in the film. Considering there's no happy final song to lighten the mood where you see the whole cast back"

Wow you completely changed my mind. Thanks!

I do wish they had made the final "Into The Woods" reprise an actual part of the film (and that they had kept the recurring reprises). I thought without it there was a lack of closure, leaving them in the woods.

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I didn't like that they made the giant look like a person. She should've been a huge scary hag so that the audience didn't feel like the main characters were horrible murderers. I kind of felt bad that they were killing this giant old woman.

Aren't you supposed to feel bad for her...

"the giant's a person too...aren't we to show forgiveness"


She just wanted to avenge the death of her husband, and the robbery and rampaging that took place in her home.

Just saw it again. It’s true (for me anyway) what people said about it being better the second time. After knowing what to expect, I found the tonal shift and the transition to Act II to be point-by-point flawless. The movie didn’t drag as much for me this time. Given, I DO still think that a lot of the poignancy and punch got lost in the translation, but the film was WORLDS more entertaining this time around.

The only think that got worse, I think, was Anna Kendrick. Her performance during Act I is perfectly presentable…she’s mostly charming, but gets outshined by better performances. During act II, however, she seemed “charming, not sincere”. Her Cinderella only gets seems to get more wooden and passive as the third act wears on. I can’t really explain why, but Cinderella always felt like the most important out of all the non Baker/Baker’s Wife/Witch group. She grows from being a passive child to delivering a very adult truth during No One Is Alone (I still miss the cut bits from that. It wasn’t nearly as touching on screen.) Anna’s Cinderella doesn’t seem to really change at all. Still, not nearly enough to ruin the film for me.

I just hope the film holds up in home video format. Les Miserables betrayed me once the screen got smaller, and I saw that twice in theaters as well.

Yes but it made me really dislike the characters. It didn't read very well on screen. In the musical you get that they're in a big moral dilemma and because they don't show the giantess, you feel bad for her, but you don't walk away from the theatre talking about how horrible the characters are.

The giantess' death was kind of horrific in the film. They couldn't show Jack's mother's death or Rapunzel 's but they could show the characters beating the giantess to death with rocks?

This whole scene disturbed me because my theatre erupted into laughter both times. They thought that this woman being stoned to death was funny. It was one of many things that got the wrong reaction.

They laughed at Little Red saying "aren't we to show forgiveness?" Too.

@icecreambenjamin

I didn't feel that way about the characters. Them stopping her from marching around as if she had no care who she stepped on was necessary.

They showed Jacks' mother's death. He shoved her and then they showed her dying. Rapunzel didn't die. The Baker's Wife died, but that wasn't shown.

The point isn't to be fully behind anyone and their decisions in this musical. They all make terrible choices that end up costing them.

No one laughed when the giant was killed either time I saw it.

And the giant IS a real person so I was fine seeing her face (though I have to admit it was hard not to place the actress at the ball with Hagrid in Harry Potter 4) and we can feel sorry for her and be angry with her at the same time.

And giants may be bad or they may be good. No one is perfect here. Both giants had a right to be upset but the destruction the giant's wife was causing was affecting innocent people so it was her or them. But you feel bad for the giant - you feel badly for everyone. If Jack didn't go up the beanstalk to take stuff, the giants would not have come down. If Jack's mother didn't throw away his beans, there would never have been a beanstalk. If the Bakers wouldn't have scammed Jack so they could have a child, he would not have had the beans. If Jack's father didn't steal the beans...it never ends.

Nothing is black and white - that's the point.

And if the Witch's mother didn't raise the beans to begin with...

Spoliers (SURELY not needed, but...)


Many people have mentioned "Mrs. Baker's" death is a sort of "slut shaming," punishment for straying; part of the sometimes deadly moralizing in fairy tales. BUT is it actually a story point to prevent feeling TOO sorry for the giantess? The show's most relatable/lovable character loses her life due to the huge, angry stomping while being completely unconnected to Jack's deeds "in the sky" despite providing him with the beans... (has probably been said before)