Oz The Great and Powerful tells the story of Oscar Diggs, better
known by his stage name Oz, a small time circus magician whose quick hands and
quicker tongue often get him into trouble. When Oz's lies and womanizing ways
finally catch up with him, Oz makes his escape in a hot air balloon
which takes a turn for the worse when it gets sucked into a tornado and is
taken to the magical Land of Oz. The film is both a prequel and an homage
to the classic film “The Wizard of Oz”. From the very beginning the movie
captures the feeling of the classic by opening the movie in black and white
with black bars on the side . This effect gives way to one of the most visually
striking scenes in the film when Oz first looks onto the Land of Oz and
the film slowly and gradually widens the screen and adds fantastic
color.
Oz runs into some eclectic characters that are welcomed
additions to the story. They are a gorgeous porcelain doll and a very chatty
monkey (voiced by Zach Braff). Oz eventually is led to the Emerald City by
Theodora (Mila Kunis, stunningly beautiful as always). There he meets the witch
Evanora (Rachel Weiz, whose performance is one of the films highlights), and is
sent on a quest to kill the wicked witch and claim the throne. But instead he
meets Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams).
Unfortunately the casting for the movie was poorly done.
James Franco was not the first actor to be considered to play the character of
Oscar Diggs ( Robert Downey and Johnny Depp turned it down among others)
and they should not have settled on him. He does not seem to care about
his performance. He just swaggers about as if he is above the material and the
other actors. Also the script makes his character so unlikable that you
really do not care much about him. While Franco is in his own
little world, Mila Kunis just looks lost in her performance. She is not
believable as the wicked witch of the West and just comes across as lightweight
compare to her sisters played by Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams who are
both much better actors than this film deserved. Weisz in particular gives the
film's best performance because she at least makes an effort and has fun
with it. Williams does the same with her role, making her sweet tooth character
a joy to watch and brings a real sincerity to the role which is a god sent
because of how insincere Franco is in his.
The visual effects are stunning and beautifully
crafted. To be fully appreciated try to see it in the 3D version at IMax
as I did. The colors are vibrant, the atmospheres are lush, and the entire
effect it has on a viewer, young or old, is eye-popping and awe-inspiring. The
movie succeeds in creating a stunning new world of OZ,
complete with eccentric characters. . It is wonderful to see the world of Oz on
the big screen again, revised and made extravagant for 2013 . .
While the movie isn't perfect my any means, Oz is entertaining and fun for the whole family.
While the movie isn't perfect my any means, Oz is entertaining and fun for the whole family.
Clark.
