Oz the Great and Powerful (film)

The Basics: This is a 2013 Disney action/adventure film directed by Sam Raimi and is an origin story to the 1939 MGM classic “The Wizard of Oz”. Now this movie is more of a spiritual predecessor to “The Wizard of Oz” and it is also not directly based on any one of Frank Baum’s Oz novels. With that in mind it isn’t completely fair to constantly compare it to the 1939 film. However, the creators of this film should have anticipated the comparison of the two films, so I will do so even if only a moderate amount.

Plot: The story here is pretty straightforward and predictable due to it being a prequel to a very widely known movie. That is by no means a bad thing, but there are certain things we know will and won’t happen. Oz is a magician who (very similarly to Dorothy) gets whisked away by a tornado in Kansas to the strange and wonderful world of Oz. He is the prophesized hero of the land and must defeat the wicked witch to claim his throne in the emerald city. We see the origin of the wicked witch we all know so well, as well as several other small things from the original film. While all of this is great, there are some points that bother me. Why on earth are Oz and Glinda (the good witch) romantically involved? I suppose they simply wanted there to be a romantic interest, but this seems completely unnecessary to me. This relationship is in no way alluded to in the original film and is probably just an added plot device for the sake of having it. Also, the wicked witch of the west makes her official transformation by biting an apple that is given to her by her sister (the wicked witch of the east). The apple is never mentioned before or after the scene. The one single corrupting bite from an evil green apple seems cliché and rushed. While the story has minor flaws, it is solid enough to keep a good pace and get everything where it needs to go.

Acting: This film has a great and diverse cast. I very much like James Franco as Oz and he does a good job developing the character. What made this movie for me though, were the supporting characters. Finely the flying monkey (Zach Braff), the China girl (Joey King), and Knuck the fanfare player (Tony Cox) are the most loveable characters of the film. They also seem to be just as, if not more, developed than the main characters. What I don’t like is Mila Kunis. I really like Mila Kunis as an actress, and she was doing great for the first half of the film. Then she became evil and it all went down the drain. Mila is simply not an evil witch. She cannot pull off a sinister character, or any scenes with vividly strong emotions for that matter. When she was crying, it seemed forced; when she was screaming in rage, it sounded stupid and unintimidating. Mila is also much too attractive to be playing a witch that is supposed to be repulsive. Evil witches should not have such nice bodies. It’s just weird and slightly uncomfortable. As a whole the acting is pretty good, and some of the supporting characters go on to be one of the best things about the film.

Effects: The special effects are one of the films strongest points. The landscapes are colorful and vivid. All of the CGI looks vibrant and other-worldly. The only drawback being that we have seen this all before. The environment doesn’t differ much from those in movies like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Neverending Story, etc. This makes all the splendor seem a little less exciting. It is worth noting that in the 1939 film, the flying monkeys seemed more mischievous than threatening. However, in this film they are quite savage and dangerous looking. They were surprisingly scary for a PG movie and definitely were a tad more daunting then their 1939 brothers. The special effects are very good though, and all of the color and liveliness make the film visually pleasing to watch.

Additional Comments: I was disappointed early on in the film by cursing and a sexual joke. This is like a PG Disney movie about Oz, and it caught me off guard. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I had expected a bit better. Also, there are singing munchkins in this film, which was a great relief to me and a huge plus. If I went through this entire film and there were no dancing and singing little people, I would have been very upset.

Conclusion: It isn’t the best written or acted movie ever and it isn’t completely true to its roots.  The movie isn’t totally fresh and you may see traces of several other movies in it. It also has a good amount of oddly attractive witches. Having said all that, it is a fun enough journey with likeable characters and appealing CG.

Buy, Rent, or Pass?

Rent- This movie is on the lower end of rent. It isn’t something you just have to see and it’s a ride you’ve probably gone on before, but it is good. I can appreciate what the people sought to create here and the effort that went into it. If nothing else watch it for the munchkins, hot witches, and pretty colors.