More Than "Happily Ever After"
“Into the Woods,” adapted from the Broadway musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, is a beautifully crafted movie that intertwines several well known fairy tales and extends them intriguingly beyond the traditional accounts. Its clever blending of the characters into a new yet familiar tale adds a touch of irony to balance the sunny outcomes of their stories.<br /><br />The baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) are a kindly couple making a modest living who long to have a family. Alas, that is not to happen. They have been cursed by a witch (Meryl Streep) because the baker’s father stole vegetables from her garden.<br /><br />But the witch is also miserable in her present ugly, hunched state and needs several items to undo the curse that made her so. She makes a deal with the baker and his wife: if they can bring her a cow as white as milk, a hank of hair as golden as corn, a golden slipper, and a red cloak, she will remove their curse.<br /><br />The baker sets out alone into the woods in search of these four objects but is shortly joined by his insistent wife. On their quest, they encounter Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), and Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), who conveniently have exactly the objects to satisfy the witch.<br /><br /> As in most fairy tales, there has to be a prince, and this film has two — Cinderella’s (Chris Pine) and Rapunzel’s (Billy Magnussen) — both devilishly handsome but lacking in sincerity and smarts, respectively.<br /><br /> Lapine’s screenplay, based on his book for the Broadway musical, is a rich tapestry of colorful characters drawn with greater depth than in the fairy tales. Cinderella wants out from a slave-like existence with her stepmother (Christine Baranski), the baker and his wife long for a child of their own, Rapunzel wishes to be freed from her tower prison, Red Riding Hood wants to visit her dear grandmother, and young Jack seeks a way to extricate himself and his mother (Tracey Ullman) from a life of poverty. The film expands on the personalities of these stock characters, giving them depth and little twists that make them more richly human while maintaining the essential fantasy elements.<br /><br />Director Rob Marshall (“Chicago”) knows his way around the movie musical, and his adaptation of the stage play is on the money. He and production designer Dennis Gassner have given the film the look of classic fairy tale illustrations, with dark, muted colors dominating. Writer Lapine has retained his original stage concept, using traditional versions as a jumping off point for this blended tale. Marshall uses computer-generated special effects with restraint, as a means to enhance the stories rather than as ends in themselves. A lot of “big scenes” rely largely on the audience’s imagination, such as the giant crashing to the ground as the beanstalk is chopped down and Cinderella’s coach turning into a pumpkin. Instead, his focus remains on the characters and their reactions to their predicaments. The best effects occur during the witch’s entrances and exits, often equalling the impact of the Wicked Witch of the West’s comings and going in “The Wizard of Oz,” and are similarly essential to the character.<br /><br />Once again, Meryl Streep etches an Academy Award-worthy performance. She’s a totally convincing witch, yet knows where a laugh lies in the dialogue and how to get it without mugging. Her singing voice is lovely and she adds genuine emotion to her songs.<br /><br />A highlight of the film is the princes’ duet, “Agony,” in which Pine and Magnussen relate the burdens of princedom as they cavort over rocks in a gentle waterfall. The sequence shows off their bravado while revealing vulnerability and even trepidation at living up to what is expected of them.<br /><br />Johnny Depp makes a brief but memorable appearance as the wolf that threatens Red Riding Hood as she travels through the dark, forbidding woods. His wolf is a charmer who has only one thing in mind — a hearty lunch! Depp’s make-up allows us to see his face clearly enough to enjoy  that wicked twinkle in his eyes. He’s quite the dapper carnivore, biding his time and calculating how to maximize his feast.<br /><br />Movie musicals are uncommon these days. It’s a pleasure to see that the filmmakers got this one right.
The movie title "Into the Woods," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.5 from 12748 reviewers. 
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The additional details include the following in key-value format :
 {"Aspect Ratio": "2.39:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 5.92 Ounces", "Item model number": "Relay time: 125min", "Director": "Rob Marshall", "Media Format": "Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, NTSC, Subtitled, Digital_copy", "Run time": "2 hours and 5 minutes", "Release date": "March 24, 2015", "Actors": "Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine", "Dubbed": "French, Spanish", "Subtitles": "French, Spanish, English", "Language": "French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD High Res Audio)", "Studio": "WALT DISNEY PICTURES", "Writers": "Screenplay By James Lapine, Based On The Musical By Stephen Sondheim And James", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : From the director of CHICAGO and the producer of WICKED comes 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. With an all-star cast, this spellbinding adventure is everything you could ever wish for..