Stephen Sondheim's 1987 musical which intermingled various fairy tales of the Bothers Grimm seem rather common in a post Shrek world.
Although the Broadway musical has a first act with a traditional fairy tale conventions the second act is more subversive which is toned down in this movie.
The biggest problem of course are the musical numbers, Sondheim I am afraid to say in his later years has never been as catchy as Rodgers and Hammerstein, although the latter was his early mentor.
The film starts of brightly, director Rob Marshall has certainly Disney-fied the story. There is a satisfying happy ever after ending with Cinderella, Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack, the wicked witch and the baker and his wife. Wait there is still an hour to go.
The second half looks at the characters in disillusionment of a world that is not all technicolour but dark as a studio set masquerading as the gloomy forest. Somewhere along the line the films gets lost a little as the second giant arrives, people die and the survivors grieve.
Johnny Depp has a sinister and mischievous cameo as the perverted wolf. Chris Pine is rather able as the good but dim Prince Charming, James Corden is whimsical and the heart of the film as the Baker and Meryl Streep dominates visually as the witch.
