I must simply be too old to enjoy the new fantasy musical in movie theaters "Into the Woods."
Even though I'm only 40, technically a member of "Generation X," I just never bought into the philosophies of postmodernism that my generation made dogmatic.
And make no mistake, "Into the Woods" is a thoroughly postmodern musical.
The film is divided into two very distinct halves, the first being a mash-up of familiar fairy-tale characters like Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Jack (of beanstalk fame), who are cleverly brought together in the "woods," where a baker and his wife must nab an item from each in order to make a potion that will break a witch's curse.
After a bland and somewhat disjointed first act in which no real protagonist develops and the drama never really takes off, the film – it seems – comes to a predictable close.
But that's just the first act.
Halfway through, "Into the Woods" takes an abrupt and startling turn into a darker tale that suddenly introduces death, blame-shifting, temptation, adultery and more.
On one hand, the twist enables a clear protagonist to develop, the story suddenly gets more interesting and a couple of fantastic musical numbers – one by Chris Pine in the first act, one by Meryl Streep in the second – make "Into the Woods" a memorable, if imperfect and inconsistent film.
But it's in that second act where the film's worldview and intended audience really comes to the forefront. This is where it becomes clear this movie is made for today's youth with today's problems.
Noticeably, for example, there is not a single intact nuclear family in the film. The divide between children and parents is sharp, as one child grows under her mother's curse, another under her mother's oppression, a third under his mother's fist. The baker steals the stage near the end when he wonders how he can be a father when he had none.
The key message that resonates at the film's climax is a comfort and encouragement, telling the film's children (and those in the audience), "You are not alone. Someone is on your side" – it's a message targeted right at the hurts and wounds of a generation too often growing up without parents or even a single parent in the home.
And while I'll give the film kudos for speaking to today's culture, it makes the grievous error of offering audiences today's culture's answers, which are thoroughly postmodern and completely bankrupt.
The common hallmark of postmodernism being relativism, particularly in the area of ethics, my generation and those after have a tendency to toss away the social institutions and morals of their forbears (same-sex "marriage" being an obvious example) in favor of determining truth on their own, experientially, and thus completely relativistic.
Postmoderns insist, "What's right and wrong for you isn't necessarily what's right and wrong for me."
This stands in complete contrast to the Word of God, the character of God and even what wiser generations called "common" sense. It's harmful, sophomoric and incredibly narcissistic.
I'm reminded of the passages of Scripture that proclaim the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the fool is wise in his own eyes and there is a way that seems right to a man, but it leads to death.
And yet, this relativistic garbage is the moral lesson of "Into the Woods."
At the film's resolution, the characters sing, "Wrong things, right things, who can say what is true? … Witches can be good; giants can be nice. … You decide what's right; you decide what's good."
You decide what's right and good? That's postmodernism's greatest lie.
And then the film has the audacity to conclude with singing how you should be careful what stories you tell, because "children will listen."
"Into the Woods" is creative, has some beautiful sets and few very well done musical numbers. Despite its inconsistencies, it's reasonably entertaining. But it's not a story I recommend telling, because, well … "children will listen."
Content advisory:
- "Into the Woods," rated PG, contains three profanities and no obscenities.
- The movie has some kissing and cleavage, but there are two scenes in particular that carry tones of sexuality – one where the wolf is leering over Little Red Riding Hood, and while he's lusting after her as a meal, there are some sexual-predator undertones; and another where Prince Charming seduces the baker's wife into a prolonged kissing scene that clearly themes adultery, even if there is no nudity or sex depicted.
- The movie includes several allusions to violence – including the wicked stepmother cutting off the wicked stepsisters' toes, the fall of the giant to his death, a woman falling off a cliff, women blinded by birds, a man thrown into a thicket of thorns and the killing of the big, bad wolf – but most aren't actually seen on screen. There are, however, three instances where Jack's mother slaps him in the head and some minor cuts and bruises.
- The film's fantasy storyline centers on a witch who performs magic on several occasions, gathers the ingredients for a magic potion and works to break a curse. She also raises a dead creature back to life. The occult content, however, is kept to a minimum, considering, through there is a scene where the witch can be heard murmuring an incantation. There is no significant religious content.