“Into the Woods” is Hollywood’s latest endeavor of translating a popular and iconic broadway musical into a film.

The cast is comprised of several A-list celebrities including Meryl Streep, Chris Pine and Anna Kendrick.

I’ll admit that seeing actors like Pine, who don’t normally sing, give a musical a shot was entertaining, but the overall product felt insincere and rushed.

I went into the theater with previous knowledge of the musical and was concerned that the sheer mass of characters would not work in the film format. Therein lies the first, big problem of the movie; “Into the Woods” follows a large cast of classical fairy tale characters, but because there is no real main character, the story feels unfocused and bland. In a stage musical, the audience can forgive these kind of sins due to the spectacle of seeing the songs performed live on stage.

“Into the Woods” simply does not make a good film by the nature of the story it is trying to tell.

For example, when the camera sits on a person for an extended shot in most films, it enhances the sense of reality the story world is intended to exist in, such as the long shots in in the film “Gravity.” In this case, it just enhanced my boredom. Meryl Streep as the witch that can only spin around and disappear in a whirl of dust two or three times before it gets predictable and repetitive.

However, there are some shining moments that were particularly fun to watch. I was thoroughly entertained by the prince characters. Chris Pine really steals the show in this one. His arrogance was hilarious.

The score itself was lovely, although the wordiness of the musical doesn’t do the soundtrack any favors. The writer of the original show, Stephen Sondheim, did his best to make the film work, but his lyrics really hold the musical back from being truly great.

Overall, the trip “Into the Woods” was a trip not worth making.