Another that originally appeared on Epinions. There's also another version at Green Man Review.
I have to confess, I had some trepidations about seeing Oz the Great and Powerful: it's a (another?) prequel to a classic that I have loved forever, and I wondered how good it could be. I saw an interview with James Franco that persuaded me it might be worth it. (My collisions with popular culture are sort of random: I keep seeing headlines about and pictures of celebrities and wind up scratching my head, wondering "who are these people?" I am grateful for search engines.)
True to form, the movie starts in Kansas, in black and white. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time "magician" and con artist who performs under the name of "Oz", runs into a little trouble with the circus strong man (Tim Holmes) -- it seems that Oz has been paying more than acceptable attention to the strong man's wife (Toni Wynne). (In fact, he's been paying a lot of attention to a lot of women -- it's sort of a hobby, I guess.) Oz finds the perfect means of escape -- a hot air balloon (the strong man is in no mood to parley), and off he goes -- right into the eye of a tornado. You can guess where he winds up -- and it's in full, living color.
The first person he meets is Theodora (Mila Kunis), who is convinced he is the prophesied savior: the old king is dead, murdered by the Wicked Witch, but before his death he predicted the arrival of a great wizard who would save the land of Oz and rule wisely and benevolently, etc. And then he rescues, in turn, a flying monkey, Finley (Zach Braff) and a china doll (Joey King) before arriving in the Emerald City, which is being ruled pro tem by Evanora (Rachel Weisz), another witch. They all decide he has to do away with the Wicked Witch, and plot to steal and destroy her wand. It's not until he's on the verge of success that he finds out who the Wicked Witch, Glinda (Michelle Williams) really is.
For a change, we've got a movie with lots of special effects in which the effects are not the stars -- thankfully, director Sam Raimi has resisted the urge to make the bells and whistles the central focus of the film. I think they work the better for it -- especially the means Oz comes up with to spook the witches, a good reprise of the original Oz in the throne room. And there are some marvelous effects, indeed: Glinda's favored mode of transport (transparent bubbles), the arrival of Theodora in a flash of fire, the flying baboons, the animated flowers, they're all right where they belong.
About the black-and-white/color thing: the black and white, strangely enough, is not particularly appealing -- it's rather flat, which may contribute to the feeling of a slow start. (And I can't help but wonder if that's an effect of the 3D, although that's somewhat counterintuitive.) The color is not garish -- there are a few vivid scenes, by they are merely vivid, not blinding. For the most part, it's normal. (The 3D is another meh -- I really don't like things flying out of the screen right at me, and it's more a shadow box effect than true 3D.)
And for the acting -- I've seen criticisms of Kunis' transformation to wicked witch, and I don't agree with them at all -- she does a perfect homage to Margaret Hamilton. Weisz, unfortunately, is not particularly believable, at least not before she reveals her true colors, and even then, she seems stuck in a stereotype The same sadly, holds true of Franco -- he's credible in those scenes where Oz is sincere, few though they are, but Oz the huckster seems to fit a little uneasily. Williams is perfect, both as Annie, another one of Oz' women in the Kansas sequence, and as Glinda. The supporting cast is by turns appealing, funny, spiky, and thoroughly delightful -- they seem to have caught the underlying good humor of the story, which comes through in spite of the dire events.
(Disney Studios, 2013; 130 minutes, rated PG)
True to form, the movie starts in Kansas, in black and white. Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time "magician" and con artist who performs under the name of "Oz", runs into a little trouble with the circus strong man (Tim Holmes) -- it seems that Oz has been paying more than acceptable attention to the strong man's wife (Toni Wynne). (In fact, he's been paying a lot of attention to a lot of women -- it's sort of a hobby, I guess.) Oz finds the perfect means of escape -- a hot air balloon (the strong man is in no mood to parley), and off he goes -- right into the eye of a tornado. You can guess where he winds up -- and it's in full, living color.
The first person he meets is Theodora (Mila Kunis), who is convinced he is the prophesied savior: the old king is dead, murdered by the Wicked Witch, but before his death he predicted the arrival of a great wizard who would save the land of Oz and rule wisely and benevolently, etc. And then he rescues, in turn, a flying monkey, Finley (Zach Braff) and a china doll (Joey King) before arriving in the Emerald City, which is being ruled pro tem by Evanora (Rachel Weisz), another witch. They all decide he has to do away with the Wicked Witch, and plot to steal and destroy her wand. It's not until he's on the verge of success that he finds out who the Wicked Witch, Glinda (Michelle Williams) really is.
For a change, we've got a movie with lots of special effects in which the effects are not the stars -- thankfully, director Sam Raimi has resisted the urge to make the bells and whistles the central focus of the film. I think they work the better for it -- especially the means Oz comes up with to spook the witches, a good reprise of the original Oz in the throne room. And there are some marvelous effects, indeed: Glinda's favored mode of transport (transparent bubbles), the arrival of Theodora in a flash of fire, the flying baboons, the animated flowers, they're all right where they belong.
About the black-and-white/color thing: the black and white, strangely enough, is not particularly appealing -- it's rather flat, which may contribute to the feeling of a slow start. (And I can't help but wonder if that's an effect of the 3D, although that's somewhat counterintuitive.) The color is not garish -- there are a few vivid scenes, by they are merely vivid, not blinding. For the most part, it's normal. (The 3D is another meh -- I really don't like things flying out of the screen right at me, and it's more a shadow box effect than true 3D.)
And for the acting -- I've seen criticisms of Kunis' transformation to wicked witch, and I don't agree with them at all -- she does a perfect homage to Margaret Hamilton. Weisz, unfortunately, is not particularly believable, at least not before she reveals her true colors, and even then, she seems stuck in a stereotype The same sadly, holds true of Franco -- he's credible in those scenes where Oz is sincere, few though they are, but Oz the huckster seems to fit a little uneasily. Williams is perfect, both as Annie, another one of Oz' women in the Kansas sequence, and as Glinda. The supporting cast is by turns appealing, funny, spiky, and thoroughly delightful -- they seem to have caught the underlying good humor of the story, which comes through in spite of the dire events.
(Disney Studios, 2013; 130 minutes, rated PG)
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