Into the Woods is excellent, through and through. The casting, the staging of scenes, and the singing all combine to make the most fun I've had at a movie so far this year. It's not the stage show, but then it doesn't need to be.
Do I really need to be the thousandth person to say how amazing Meryl Streep is as The Witch? Probably not, but I will anyway. She NAILS it. As touching as her rendition of 'Stay With Me' is, it is her threatening and menacing version of 'Last Midnight' that had me on the edge of my seat. She is truly terrifying in those last few moments.
Yes, Johnny Depp is nothing more than a cameo, but by God he makes it work so well. His Wolf is a combo of slightly hilarious and genuinely creepy, and he is clearly having a ball chewing what little scenery he's given.
The Princes were both quite good, with their rendition of 'Agony' being hands down the most hilarious moment in the movie. They sing and gesticulate broadly, leaping from rock to rock in a river, tearing open their shirts and falling to their knees in(what else) agony. And for those who still may not know, yes, the affair with the Baker's Wife and Cinderella's Prince remains.
Visually, the movie looks gorgeous. The woods are dark and menacing, even before the arrival of the Giantess. The staging of the songs is very cinematic. A few songs have been cut, but in my opinion, their elimination makes sense. Film is a different medium from stage, and what works in one does not always work in another.
And now to Rapunzel. I felt her fate was quite well done, and in the end, the Witch still loses the only person she may have loved.
This is definitely one journey worth taking, and I cannot wait to go into the woods once more.