Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
MGM’s 1939 movie musical The Wizard of Oz is beloved by generations of people and still regarded as a cinematic classic more than seventy years after its original release. As I imagine is the case for many people, the film was one of my earliest childhood memories related to movies, and I still love it to this day. With recognizable branded properties being more important than ever in Hollywood, and L. Frank Baum’s Oz books being in the public domain, there are multiple new takes on the stories in the works and headed to our movie screens. First out of the gate is Oz the Great and Powerful, a spiritual prequel to both The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the first of Baum’s books, and the MGM film, brought to us by Walt Disney Pictures and director Sam Raimi. While it certainly doesn’t reach the same Olympian heights as its classic predecessor, Oz the Great and Powerful is a very good fantasy-adventure film, a worthy addition to the Oz legacy, and a enjoyable time at the movies for people of all ages.
When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician of dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas by a tornado to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot – fame and fortune are his for the taking – until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity – and even a bit of wizardry – Oscar must transform himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but into a better man as well.
Sam Raimi has put together an interesting cast, and I think all the actors did good work. James Franco is an excellent choice for Oscar Diggs, because he’s so inherently likeable that you’re willing to go along with him, even though the character really starts out as a self-centered jerk. Franco has proven how talented he is many times, and it’s nice to see him finally being the lead in a big studio film like this. I really liked Michelle Williams as Glinda, the Witch of the South, and I think she captured the right balance between wisdom and humor that the character needs. Rachel Weisz is perfectly cast as Evanora, the Witch of the East, and I thought she did a good job with what I think is her first villainous role. The cast member who probably had the hardest job was Mila Kunis as Theodora, the Witch of the West; I had doubts about her casting at first, but she really won me over with how much she threw herself into the role of a woman who starts out quite loveable and ultimately becomes so twisted by her inner demons. Zach Braff gets some great comic moments as the voice of Finley the Flying Monkey, and his voice works perfectly with the CG character. I really wasn’t expecting this, but I think that Joey King really stole the show in some moments as the voice of the China Girl – more about her later. Tony Cox and Bill Cobbs are quite good in their supporting roles as, respectively, the Munchkin herald Knuck and the Master Tinkerer. And rest assured, fellow Sam Raimi fans, Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi do make their expected appearances, but I won’t spoil how and when they show up.
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A big part of why the film works so well is the presence behind the camera of Sam Raimi, the Michigan-born director best known for helming the Evil Dead series and the original Spider-Man trilogy. So many of his films have a quirky, slightly off-kilter feel to them, and a movie like this is a perfect outlet for that. Raimi’s fingerprints are all over the film, with many of his signature stylistic touches very much in play. We have montage sequences using overlapping close-ups. We have the main character going through physical punishment. And we have his trademark blend of humor bordering on camp and the genuinely creepy. By its very nature, the Land of Oz lends itself to crazy, out-there stuff, which really fits perfectly with Raimi’s sensibilities and filmmaking style.
The film is truly a feast for the eyes, and Raimi and company have done an excellent job of making a version of the Land of Oz that both pays homage to the MGM film and is very much its own creation. I applaud the director’s decision to use a combination of both practical sets and CGI elements, because it allows for both an environment with physical reality and the more complex pieces that could not be created for real. Raimi and his effects team have taken the classic movie creatures of the Flying Monkeys and made them actually frightening again. Where they were basically organ grinder monkeys with feathered wings in the 1939 film, here they are vicious black baboons with leathery bat wings. The other creatures, such as the river fairies and the snapping plants in the Dark Forest, are all impressive-looking and well-animated. Finley is very cute-looking and the CG character perfectly complements Zach Braff’s voice work. But the film’s supreme visual effects triumph is the China Girl. Even though she’s obviously not real, I found her incredibly endearing and there was not a moment of her screen time that I did not completely accept her as a character. From where I’m standing, the China Girl alone should earn Oz a place on next year’s Oscar shortlist for Best Visual Effects.
I was able to see the film in 3D, and I have to say that I was impressed with the results. From the fun animated opening titles, which are modeled after an old-fashioned puppet show, the 3D effects are used often and quite well. I particularly liked when it was used to give an additional feeling of depth to the landscapes. The only downside about seeing it in 3D was that the actual 3D glasses I was given were kind of awkwardly-shaped; they ultimately worked fine, but it did take a little while to find a way to get them to sit comfortably on my face.
James Franco and Joey King in “Oz the Great and Powerful.” © 2013 – Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
To any parents of young children thinking of taking their kids to see this, I advise you to give it some serious thought beforehand. There is definitely some stuff here that could give your kids nightmares. I’m almost twenty-five, and there were a couple things that I thought were pretty creepy.
But as much as I liked the film, it does have a couple of flaws. While the storyline certainly isn’t bad, because of the film’s nature as a prequel, the overall beats of the plot played out largely as I expected. However, even though I had a rough idea of where things would end up, there will still some surprises along the way. And without getting into spoilers, I know that the origin for the Wicked Witch of the West that is presented here will probably make some people mad and will likely become a point of debate, but I thought it worked well in the context of the film and the idea that Oscar has to overcome his flaws as a human being to become the Wizard.
I’ve been looking forward to this film for a long time, and I’m happy to say that I enjoyed seeing it as much as I hoped I would. With a good cast, a great director, some amazing visual effects, and plenty of humor and thrills, this trip to Oz is one worth making. Disney has certainly had a mixed track record with its live-action tentpole films in recent years, but this one is definitely a winner. Whether you’re a fan of Oz, a fan of Sam Raimi, or just a fan of fantasy and adventure movies, you should go see Oz the Great and Powerful.
Timothy Monforton
