After the grand finale of the Harry Potter series, most of the big studios have been trying to fill the “magic-kid friendly-franchise” slot left vacant. First up at the plate is Disney’s OZ: The Great and Powerful.
Welcome back to the merry old of land of OZ, and leading us down this new yellow brick road is director Sam Raimi, bringing his unique signature style to a fun, magical film that the whole family can enjoy.
The movie is not based on any of the L. Frank Baum books in the series, but merges story elements and themes from all the OZ books. It is filled with loving nods to the original classic 1939 film so many of us know from childhood, but technology and film-making style have come a long way since the last journey to Oz, 1985’s Return to OZ. We’re now faced with a whole new OZ, and Disney and Raimi take us there in style.
The movie’s version of the Wizard, Oz (James Franco) is a con man/sideshow magician, swept up into a tornado and drawn in OZ. There he meets two Witch sisters, skeptical Evanora (Rachel Weis) and enthusiastic Theodora (Mila Kunis), who believe Oz is the wizard that’s come to save OZ after their previous king’s death and subsequent civil war between the two sisters and the outcast Glinda. Motivated by promises of power and wealth, Oz sets out on a journey to bring down Glinda, picking up friends along the way: Finley the flying monkey (voiced by Zach Braff) and The China Girl (voiced by Joey King).
And once they meet Glinda (Michelle Williams) Oz gets a very different view of the sisters. The stage is set for a redemption, a liberation, and a triumph over evil. It is an essential look at what happened before Dorothy’s classic adventure.
All three witches are amazingly cast for each actress’ talents. Williams’ Glenda is sheer power and raw emotion; an empathetic liberator whose goodness and light make you want to join in and fight alongside her. On the other side of that coin are Weis and Kunis as the wicked siblings, all rage and darkness and, by the end of the film, pure evil, but quite distinct from one another. Weis and Kunis undoubtedly put the “wicked” in “wicked witch”.
The weak link in the fantastic cast was Franco’s Oz. He’s the lead, but you never feel like he could be heroic. He looks great, and he does what he can with the role, but when a CG monkey and glass china doll are ou-acting you, what are you to think? Perhaps someone like Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Daniel Radcliffe could have been a more convincing Wizard, someone who you feel can rise above his own demons and fight to free an entire magical land.
The special effects and CGI are used excellent in the film. There are a few times where you know there is no set, and the actors are just on a blue or green screen. These are less jarring than, say, the Star Wars prequels, but at times it does take you out of the movie. But the creators have depicted a world of beauty, colors, and interesting designs, the kind of place you want to revisit in your imagination.
Even the 3D, although never necessary, was done well. Climate 3D effects such as snowfall, spray from a waterfall and fire do add something special to certain scenes.
What sets OZ apart from similar fantasy films is Sam Raimi as the director. It definitely feels like one of his movies. It has his signature camera style and cinematography; his snap zoom is in full use and there are plenty of his usual dark scary moments mixed with humor. Even down to the use of his friend Bruce Campbell in a cameo role. Of course, non-fans of Raimi might have some issues with the filmmaking, but the movie is so much fun that it’s over looked rather fast.
All in all, this is a fun family movie that adds a new twist to the wonder and love of a classic universe. Featuring some awesome acting and great effects, this is a movie to see on the big screen.
Watch OZ to recapture that wonder from when we first watched Dorothy walk out of that black and white house and into a world we’ve never seen before.