A "wish" come true

I had been looking forward to seeing the movie of Into the Woods ever since I knew it was being made. As the time got closer and trailers started showing up online, I got even more excited. "Well, excited and scared." Scared because I was hearing some bad reviews of it and I was hoping they were just from people who didn't see the stage version and had no idea what to expect. Some people reviewing on Fandango were brutal. Did they even see the trailer to know that it was a musical in the first place?!? However, my worries were for naught because I asked friends who had seen the stage version what their thoughts were and received all sorts of good feedback. And then, I saw it for myself.... All I really need to say is that I was impressed. When I saw favorite musicals done as movies in the past, I was annoyed by them and picked them apart. This time, however, I have very few critiques. Here are my thoughts, as I felt this was too long to share on Facebook as a status update. (Since it's 2014, I think giving 14 reasons is enough...)

1. I wasn't sure what to think of Emily Blunt doing musical theater. I never knew she could sing. She has a different singing voice than I'm used to, but it's pretty and she harmonizes well with James Corden. I loved "It Takes Two." They totally nailed one of my favorite songs from the show. She also did well with "Moments in the Woods." So her girl crush factor has gone up a few points as far as I'm concerned and it made the Baker's Wife my favorite character in the movie, as well as in the stage version.

2. Johnny Depp as the Wolf. He was perfectly creepy and it just worked for this role.

3. Lilla Crawford was perfect as Red Riding Hood. I can't even go back and watch Danielle Ferland in the role now because Lilla just owned it.

4. While Daniel Huttlestone (Jack) was cute and all, my one critique is that I was expecting him to sing "Little People" from the London production of Les Miz because his accent was that overwhelming. It just didn't work for anyone playing Jack. I liked Tracey Ullman as his mother.

5. I liked how they made "Giants in the Sky" and "I Know Things Now" so that they were directed at the Baker instead of as monologue songs. I just don't know that I liked watching what happened after the Wolf ate Red. It seemed a bit cheesy and unnecessary.

6. My other critique is that "The Steps of the Palace" was changed to be first person and the time stopping aspect seemed weird. I can see why they did that, but it just didn't feel right.

7. "Agony" was a fun production. I think other people found it funnier than I did, but I still thought it was cute overall. I'm glad they didn't do the reprise as it would have taken away from the direction in which the movie was going.

8. Meryl Streep rocked the role of the Witch. I didn't know she had it in her, but I was pleasantly surprised. And she looked fabulous once the curse was broken.

9. I wasn't sure if I'd like Anna Kendrick as Cinderella, but she really was amazing. I hope she does as well in her role as Cathy in The Last Five Years.

10. I definitely cried a few times toward the end. I do for the stage version too, so the emotional quality did carry over well.

11. The effects and costumes were wonderful. I totally felt swept away into the world of the story. I also got a different perspective on things that couldn't be portrayed on stage as well as they could on screen.

12. While some songs were eliminated, it didn't take away from the story. I wouldn't have minded hearing "Maybe They're Really Magic," but that's okay.

13. I really liked James Corden as the baker. I had only seen him in one other movie prior to this one and liked him then too. He played the role in a different way than Chip Zien did, but he really made it his own and put so much charm and emotion into it.

14. My older son loved it and wants to see it again. And so do I! (We'll probably wait for DVD though.)