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There have been several adaptations of the novel by L. Frank Baum in film, stage and even video games.
It was only a matter of time until someone would once again seek to claim the fame of the Emerald City. This time, that person is Sam Raimi, the man responsible for the Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies.
Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco as carnival magician Oscar Driggs, who most people call Oz, finds himself in the magical world of Oz after being sucked up by a tornado.
He then finds that people believe he is the prophesized “wizard” sent to defeat the Wicked Witch, sending Oz on an adventure he never expected.
The supporting cast includes Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams and Zach Braff.
The story sets itself up pretty well, with various references and tributes to the more famous Oz film that came before it, going so far as to open the film with a 4:3 aspect ratio and sepia tone.
When the main story gets underway, it stays fairly engaging but still feeling kind of long
Another thing that’s to be expected is the 3D pandering, where things fly towards the viewer or pop up in the foreground. While it was okay when the main character was in Oz, they do the same thing when we’re still in Kansas, which felt kind of senseless.
There was also a great deal of computer-generated imagery (CGI) during the opening scene, which was off-putting. I feel they should have shot it in a more traditional style that didn’t rely on CGI to better match the “realistic” tone they were trying to set.
Once the story moves to Oz, things begin to pick up fairly quickly, as the very saturated and somewhat artificial look of the CGI effects fit the world pretty well. However, there is a fair share of pandering where the effects of the film are almost being shown off.
The story is paced well and we get pretty good doses of development for our main character
There were times where the movie was trying too hard to bridge the gap between this and The Wizard of Oz. It goes out of its way to point out the fact that elements play a key role in the original story, especially when it comes to the introduction and portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West.
It is an enjoyable film, but it’s another one of those films that you don’t really need to rush out and see. It sports pretty good visuals and a decently paced story.
It’s a tad predictable, but it’s ultimately a fun movie that has some nice send ups to the original novel and 1939 film.
On my personal scale, I give Oz the Great and Powerful a 4/5.
