There’s a tight, tempting, and dangerous 80 minute musical fighting for oxygen in the 120 minutes it takes for “Into the Woods” to tell its story. An adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical, it’s difficult to tell if this particular work was ever meant for the big screen, much less a Disney production, with all its nasty parts and ghoulish developments either haphazardly muted or sawed off completely in an effort to appeal to a family audience. I don’t think Sondheim was aiming for the matinee crowds with this movie, but that doesn’t stop director Rob Marshall from softening the blow, botching tonality and ease of characterization in this visually engaging but ultimately joyless celebration of death and deceit, with the periodic musical number arriving to restore some snap to the picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com