Not for small children. Other than that, the movie version of Steven Sondheim's musical is eminently commendable. It begins with the standard Disney opening with their trademark fairy tale castle, the modern equivalent of MGM's roaring lion – and quickly transitions into a Disney-sized fairy tale mash-up. And that's not meant in any pejorative sense at all.
I was shocked at how much I liked this film. The voices aren't perfect, but they'll do, and far more to the point, the sound allows the customer to hear every word of the wondrous Sondheim lyrics, including some new ones. The humor, the nimble phrases as deft as Cole Porter, aren't lost to poor sound systems or singers who don't enunciate. And it's beautiful. Dark, yes – they're spending a lot of time deep in the forest, after all – but lovely and magic. And pay attention to the costumes. Colleen Atwood has already won several Oscars for her costumes, and these details are utterly delicious.
Meryl Streep has never looked so bad and so good in the same film. There's no sense in praising her performance; Streep will remain the standard by which actors are measured for the next three or four decades. James Corden, the British actor (who originated the role of Francis in "One Man, Two Guvnors" in London) taking over for Craig Ferguson in March, plays The Baker, not handsome, just warm and human, utterly endearing in his affection for his wife, Emily Blunt. Lots of other big names, like Johnny Depp as the notorious B. B. Wolf, of course.
It certainly is true to the original darkness of the Bro Grimm's tales, and as such, I really was serious when I said it's not for little children. There are other ways to tell them these stories, until the little ones show signs of developing a properly dark sense of humor.