A funny and interesting entanglement of several adventures from the Brothers Grimm, plus a story about a childless baker. A great and interesting mix where your brain struggles to accept the divergence from the original stories you have heard and read countless times.
The movie is heavily based on a theatrical play written 40 years ago. The play has two acts, with the first act building up a series of wishes that come true and everyone living happily ever after. The second act is more of a cautionary tale about hubris, where everything falls apart. When the play first came out, people actually left and went home after the first act because everything seemed to have ended like a classical fairytale. So whenever the play is performed today, the audience is reminded to come back after the break to make sure they get to experience the moral of the story. Obviously, the movie does not have this break when you stream it at home, and the transition from happiness to hubris is much more blunt. The movie also cuts down the second half a bit, which is unfortunate, as it is already a bit of a mess in my opinion. I recently watched a theatrical production outdoors, and I must say that I enjoyed it more than the movie, despite the impressive Hollywood cast. I am, however, heavily biased, as a close family member was part of the theatrical cast.
James Corden was a good choice for the baker, and he did well. Emily Blunt as his wife puzzled me a bit. She is normally good, but she did not fit this role in my opinion.
To me, Little Red Riding Hood is a very central but also comical character, and I do not think Lilla Crawford gave a strong enough performance. The same goes for Daniel Huttlestone playing Jack. I think they should have cast stronger and perhaps older actors for these roles.
Anna Kendrick is perfect as Cinderella. She sings well, and her acting was exactly what I expected. Meryl Streep as the witch is a strong choice. She has the presence and stature to pull it off. I think she would have been even better as the evil stepmother, despite that being a much smaller role.
Rapunzel is not a major character, but she is not irrelevant either. Mackenzie Mauzy has the right looks for the role, but I do not think she had enough presence to make an impression. Seeing Johnny Depp as the wolf was a happy surprise. They cut the scene in Grandma's house short, which is a shame in my opinion.
There is a lot of magic and other fairytale stuff going on, obviously, and for the most part, it was done very well. I was mostly disappointed with the execution of the special effects related to the giant. That looked like something from a 90s B rated monster movie.
Overall, an enjoyable fairytale movie with an interesting mix of stories that unfortunately ends up being messy, despite having the potential to be something brilliant. An impressive cast helps lift it higher and provides a few pleasant surprises.
Watch this if you enjoy a good musical or fantasy fairytale movie. Just keep in mind that there will be a lot of singing, and it might not end the way you expected during the first half. I give it seven out of ten.
