The woods are a strange and wondrous place

Anna Kendrick in a scene from "Into the Woods." Photo by Peter Mountain, © 2013 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

The downside of a cinematic musical is a lost connection between the players on stage and the audience. There's a vitality the filmed equivalent just cannot capture, the digital perfection eradicating the sense of spontaneity bred by the theater. Anything, for better or for worse, can happen on a live stage; films are incapable of reproducing that sense of danger.

What a film adaptation of a musical must do then is justify the translation to screen. Filmmakers need to take advantage of what the new medium can bring to the script and see what they can do with better technology and the option to reshoot, which can forge a technically perfect musical performance.

I'm not sure that's the case with “Into the Woods,” which tries too hard to replicate a trip to the theatre to its detriment. Still, the film is carried by a pair of terrific performances by the two female leads, and the show itself is so much fun and just a hint wicked it makes for a rather good time … just not as good as it could be.

Like any good fairy tale, it's best to begin at the beginning of this adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical, one that opens with an introductory medley with the denizens of a small village. There’s Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) completing a series of disgusting tasks for her stepmother (Christine Baranski) and stepsisters (Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard); Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) picks up treats for her grandmother; and poverty-stricken Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) takes his beloved cow to a different village to sell her at his mother's (Tracey Ullman) urging. Joining the bedtime staples are a baker (incoming “Late Late Show” host James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), who dream of having a child. Unfortunately, a neighboring witch (Meryl Streep) reveals she put a pox upon Corden's family after a bout of thievery by the baker's father that prevents anyone who lives under their roof from procreating.

As is the case with such situations, there is a way to reverse the curse, and it requires the baker and his wife to obtain the following items within a three-day span: a white cow, a red cowl, some yellow hair, and a golden slipper. It sounds better when recited in musical form, but you get the gist.

So into the woods do Corden and Blunt go on a quest to complete their family. They encounter the aforementioned characters, along with a pair of vain princes (Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), a wolf (Johnny Depp), a giant, and a series of escalating shenanigans that could impede upon a happy ending.

Given how fairy tales original ended, this might be a blessing.

Any disappointment with “Into the Woods” for novices that haven't seen the show on stage is based on the self-inflicted limitations director Rob Marshall places upon himself. The man behind the film adaptation “Chicago” has so much at his disposal given the fairy-tale world and the magic that setting brings, yet he rarely does anything with it. Sure the giant looks a little more interesting than it might on stage, and there is a bit of CGI tossed into the mix, but he doesn't build a world out of it; rather, he erects a barrier between the audience and the fantasy land in front of it that just reinforces the faux staginess of it all.

Also at issue is an uneven flow, as the back third moves as expeditiously as a sloth covered in molasses. Chopping a song would solve the flow problem beautifully.

Yet I still enjoyed “Into the Woods” immensely despite its problems. Even a weakened cinematic translation reveals a rather splendid show with imagination, wit, a cruel streak and some excellent songs, highlighted by “On the Steps of the Palace,” “Moments in the Woods” and a rendition of “Agony” that evoked some sighs of gratitude from female audience members.

Credit too goes to the person or people who corralled a very game cast that, aside from a moderately flat Corden, bite into their roles with glee. Depp and Streep embrace the campy aspects of their performances, although Streep reins it in a little more and delivers a perfectly good performance. The again, it would have been much more interesting if played by the show's original witch, Bernadette Peters.

Peters, pictured here amid a moment of melancholy.

But the highlights are Kendrick and Blunt, as the former plays Cinderella's indecisiveness perfectly and maintains a level of likeability to a character who could easily mosey into shrillness. Blunt is simply delightful, a bastion of joy and playfulness who finds the right blend of fire and mourning to a woman who resigns herself to a meager life with the poor baker. She nails the role's comedic elements and never goes too broad with her performance.

Blunt is “Into the Woods'” heart and soul; the moments when either she (or Kendrick) are off screen reveal the underwhelming artifice of the whole production.

Rating: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG

Run time: 124 minutes (Two hours and four minutes)

Genre: Musical

Ask Away

Target audience: We'll go with Stephen Sondheim followers and anyone who's into a good musical during the holiday season.

Take the whole family?: “Into the Woods” does have a modicum of sexual undertones — something of a given due to Sondheim's involvement — but there's nothing overly objectionable to prevent a family outing.

Theater or Netflix?: It's cool to venture out as a matinee or as a way to blow time on Christmas; otherwise, stay home and wait.

And the Oscar goes to? Meryl Streep will get a nomination just for being Meryl Streep, and the fortune tellers have Emily Blunt getting a well-deserved nomination (although I'd trade Anna Kendrick for Streep in the best supporting actress category). It should earn a best picture nod and might get some love for adapted screenplay and the technical/costume categories.

Watch this as well?: I've always had a soft spot for “The Company of Wolves,” a little nasty retelling of the Red Riding Hood legend. You could revisit classics like “West Side Story” or “Singin' in the Rain” or, if you want to keep the kids involved, just re-watch “Frozen” for the 70th time. 

Plus, Olaf is just delightful.