One of the few tv offerings over Christmas that I recorded- well, I suppose it is a festive kind of film, but to be honest I’ve been curious about this one ever since I saw the trailer long ago. Based on a long-running Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine stage musical that has been running for decades and of which I am utterly ignorant, I suppose I’d summarise it as an adult fairytale with a sly sense of humor. As a fairytale musical I’d say it scores higher than Disney’s later live action Beauty & the Beast even though the songs aren’t anywhere near as memorable; I preferred this films dark undercurrent and its sense of wicked humor as it twists several fairy tales into one – Cinderella, Jack & the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel amongst them. It’s perhaps a little episodic in nature but the strands come together surprisingly well. Visually it’s rather sumptuous too with some absolutely lovely production design and cinematography. I imagine the Blu-ray looks beautiful.
The cast is pretty good, led by Meryl Streep under heavy make-up for most of the film as the cursed, evil witch (her costume is a wonder as it catches the light and billows in the wind). Chris Pine… well, not for the first time I see him in a film in which he looks a better Kirk than he does in the Star Trek reboots. He hams it up a treat with his self-conscious Prince Charming in love with his reflection more than his Cinderella. Emily Blunt is just as good as she always is. Johnny Depp is wasted really in a part that amounts to a cheeky cameo that might have better suited Adam Ant to be honest. Anna Kendrick’s Cinderella is possibly the films weakest link, as she seems to the lack the charisma the part really needs. The rest of the cast alternates between serviceable and lacklustre, really, but their failings are well hidden but that wonderful production design and cinematography.
I suspect that if/when I rewatch this someday I may actually enjoy it more simply from knowing what to expect, and maybe the musical numbers do become more effective through familiarity. I had an impression that it might have benefited from a longer running-time as it does seem to just stumble to a halt, strangely faltering towards the end as if in a race to finish in two hours. Was the original musical quite as… I don’t know, routine and predictable? The first half has plenty of twists and surprises and I expected this to follow to the end but it becomes just a little too… well, yes, routine. And yet there are some surprises as not every character gets a happy ending, a sense of underlying darkness that feels quite satisfying. As it is my enjoyment was likely heightened by the festive season but it seemed a solid enough effort. Beats watching The Snowman yet again.
