12 Movies That Wasted Great Twist Ideas
7. Into The Woods— The Fairy Tale Characters Face Real Life Consequences
A tragic allegory for the AIDS crisis, West Side Story creator Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods doesn't seem like the ideal Broadway phenomenon for a Disney adaptation. And indeed it isn't, as the 2014 film version proves.
The film aims to retell the likes of Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and a handful of other childhood classics with a twist, but in the original stage play said twist is that the characters face tragically realistic consequences for their fairy tale actions. Stripped of its potent metaphorical meaning, this twisted fairy tale retelling loses its punch and the point behind its many twists are lost in this neutered retelling.
Take, for example, the baker's wife. When she strays from her happy marriage she ends up killed for her troubles, whilst the cocksure prince with whom she has an affair doesn't receive any comeuppance and goes on to romance another young princess in a twist which reflect society's unequal moral rubric.
Yes, Emily Blunt's character does still die in the film, but instead of her prince charming facing no consequences thanks to his riches and power insulating him, Chris Pine's character just... sort of vanishes?
Not exactly a moving metaphor to beat out Rent there, Disney.