Into the Woods

Release Date: December 25, 2024

Release Date: October 20, 2024

“A modern twist on the beloved fairy tales you thought you knew. Meryl Streep stars in this epic musical saga about daring to venture Into the Woods. Iconic characters, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, find their fates intertwined with a humble baker and his wife, whose longing to have a child sends them on a quest to reverse a witch’s (Streep) curse.”

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   I don’t know why this is listed on Disney every year as Halloween movie. I know Bob protested it’s inclusion in this very esteemed list. I don’t care. It’s my month to pick first, and I’m sick of jump scares. So instead we get a movie with singing, one of Bob’s worst fears.

   I have a confession to make: I don’t really like ‘Into the Woods’. It’s strange, I know. I love musicals. It’s very rare for me to meet a musical I don’t like. I like fantasy, and fairy tales. I like retellings of classic stories, myths and legends. I like a majority of the actors featured in this musical. But this musical, taken as a whole, just doesn’t do it for me.

   I think it’s because, for me, a lot of the songs feel a little different from the traditional musical – and I like Hamilton (which on it’s own has redefined what can be a traditional musical, I’m well aware) so it’s not like I don’t like fast, basically talking songs. I like a lot of these songs, actually. But I don’t find myself tempted to put them on my playlist and sing along with them in the car, and that’s kind of the whole point of a musical to me.

   I also don’t feel like it’s a very satisfying conclusion. I think the message of the whole story is that people are flawed, that everyone has their reasons for everything, witch’s can be good, charming princes can be sleazeballs, loving mothers can make mistakes, and what you wish for isn’t always was you actually need. But I have to be really introspective, and it’s taken me multiple viewings to come to that conclusion. Normally, I just walk away feeling mildly confused about what I watched.

   If this is your favorite musical, I apologize. I legitimately don’t know why I find it so meh. I want to like it, I really do. And unironically I’ve watched it for like the last three or four Halloweens, I think because I know it’s something I should be enjoying. But I just…I can appreciate it. I don’t know if it’s ever going to make the Spotify playlist.

   Now Bob, was doing school work at the time, and really struggling to follow along, and also a little bitter because the way our schedule works out next week we won’t have opportunities to watch films alone which means for the sake of the marathon we have to choose kid friendly Halloween films, and that’s not as fun for him. But it’s his month next month, so he can tough it out, the big baby. But I did have to try and explain, to the best of my ability, what was happening at multiple points. So we can both advise that you not put this on as just a film in the background, at least for your first few viewings. This is one you really need to sit down and watch if you’re going to have any hope at following the plot or liking any of the characters (or even knowing who they are in some cases).

   But, like I said, I can see the merits of this movie. Just because, and this is true for all the films we watch, I don’t really like it, doesn’t mean other’s shouldn’t. And if this is your favorite musical, leave a comment and explain why. Please. Because I really want to be sold on this, and I don’t know why I can’t be.