Even more so with a cast consisting of Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Tracey Ulmann, Johnny Depp and James Corden.
After hearing about this just over a year ago, I had high expectations for this and to be a possible Oscar contender.
However as we got close to the release date, I was not as excited as before. But I knew for certain that I would enjoy it nevertheless. A Disney musical, surely that cannot go wrong, could it?
Well, the opening act certainly sets you up perfectly for a wonderful family adventure. It looks great, the characters apart from one are introduced perfectly and developing nicely as we get into the woods themselves.
We're moving along with a pretty simple plot device, the songs are still being belted out and sung rather well. There is a healthy amount of comedy moments, with a few moments that I was surprised to see not only in this film, but attempt to be funny.
As we came to a nice happy finale, the film managed to go on for another half hour for what was an unexpected extended act to what was a perfectly fine and entertaining story.
It was starting to get a bit unnecessary, the humor was largely off-beat and at times inappropriate and the ending I do not think will please many audiences.
That final unexpected extra quarter of the film managed to pretty much change my opinion of the film. If it ended where it should have, then I would be reviewing a highly entertaining musical that brings a lot of famous fairy tales to the modern age.
Sadly, I am going to say that is a very disappointing feature that was too long and with a third act that should not have even been there.
After seeing this, I read a few articles about major plot changes from the stage musical that was done by the stage director himself Steven Sodenheim. I recommend finding out about this AFTER seeing the film, because the stage show sounds even more extraordinary and not in good way. For me, Sodenheim should have stuck to his play and made it a 12 rating, rather than PG. I think changing the plot just seemed to make a mess of it, especially at the end. If there were no changes, this would have not frustrated the fans of the musical and make film fans like me not disappointed as the story structure would have made more sense.
I think it is a good time to do the positives now. With it being a fantasy musical, the sets, visuals and songs need to be on top form and thankfully they nearly all are. I only had a problem with a couple of the songs as they did not feel memorable or important. They are no Lloyd Webber, but they are all sung well and some give off a few nice comedic moments, especially by Chris Pine.
The set felt very 'Sleepy Hollow' which was nice to see. The bleakness definitely made the woods an actual character and felt like a proper fairy tale set.
For the performances, the relationship with Corden and Blunt was relatable and believable. Blunt was a pretty decent stand-out, 2014 has definitely been a breakthrough year for her.
Meryl Streep played her role as well as only she can. Her singing is still empowering, but I could not seem to fully work out her character due to some questionable plot-holes.
Despite Kendrick being now branded as the 'it-girl', I still find her a bit over-rated. However, she plays her role well and was an integral part of the film.
Pine's charm was oozing in his character and was a big winner for me. He seems to win me over in all of his roles. Ulmann fitted her role beautifully into the broad-way vibe of this production. Also, it was nice to see the kid who played Gavroche in Les Miserables get an important role in this film.
Sadly, Depp felt pretty pointless. He was fine in his role and his singing brought me right back into his amazing performance in Sweeney Todd. However, he is hardly in it for that long and it just felt a waste of time having a big name like that in only one small section. Also, his character could end up being quite controversial and be talked about a lot, especially by parents.
One final positive was the music. Basically, it was fantastic. Every time the string section came in, I kept getting goosebumps. The way the composer used them made it feel mystical and magical.
Even with all those positives, there are still major problems with this feature. The plot holes are quite concerning, and the changes to the story from the stage for me confirms that this should have stayed in the theatre.
I am still baffled by the final act, and some of the quite gory off-screen moments that were supposed to be seen as comedic. I would not bring a young child to see this as there a few themes that would confuse them and generally make them bored and wanting to leave early.
There is enough to like for me to give it a respectable rating, but this had great potential to be a big hit. Such a shame, and for this being a Disney is surprising.
Rating: 7/10
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