Oz the Great and Powerful

Posted on: 15th March 2013  |

Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff
UK Release date: 8 March 2013
Certificate: PG (130 mins)

Based on L. Frank Baum’s novel of the same name, Oz the Great and Powerful has the unenviable task of being the prequel to one of cinema’s most iconic and revered films, The Wizard of Oz, with its yellow bricks, terrifying green witch, strange little dog, and of course Judy Garland with her ruby slippers and her once-in-a-generation performance as Dorothy. Unfortunately, Sam Raimi’s attempt has none of the magic and melancholy of its predecessor and at best it is a PowerPoint presentation for computer animators.

The film alludes to its predecessor in that it starts in black and white in the windy city of Kansas. Here we find small town magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco), along with his partner in crime Frank (Zach Braff), desperately trying to impress the townsfolk with a series of poorly-crafted illusions and bumbling stagecraft. Even at the start the whole thing seems a bit forced; it is filled with an air of sepia-tinged nostalgia. Strangely, Sam Raimi doesn’t seek to capture any of the small-town gloom of the original Kansas. Instead, we find our future wizard caught up in his own egotistical haze, lusting after the female population of the town. So much so that he is chased out of town by a couple of brutes from the fairground in a scene that resembles a cheating husband played by Houdini escaping via a drainpipe in a bad 1970s movie.

After leaving the Kansas fairground, Oscar finds himself caught up in a tornado that transports him to Oz. The film bursts into Technicolor, and I got the impression that it is at this point where we are meant to look on in awe through our 3D glasses at this animated landscape. Yes, the landscape looks impressive, but I don’t think that is enough of a premise on which to base an entire film. Computer animation can so easily be used as a tool to trick people into thinking a film is ‘magical’ by diverting the audience’s attention from the lack of substance in the rest of the film, and it is sad to say that Oz the Great and Powerful falls into this trap.

As the film continues, we meet the witches Theodora, (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), all of whom Oscar tries to seduce within moments of being introduced to them. Oscar quickly learns the prophecy of Oz, that he, ‘the wizard’, is expected to save the people of Oz from the Wicked Witch. Despite his bogus credentials as a wizard, Oscar is allured by the power and wealth that this will bring to him. He enlists the help of a small flying monkey called Finley (also played by Zach Braff) and later on a small girl made of china (Joey King) to help him in his quest. They learn quickly, as does Glinda, that he is not a ‘real’ wizard but still he is asked by Glinda to carry on his quest for the people of Oz.

Oz the Great and Powerful is not without its highlights. Zach Braff’s typically goofy performances as Frank and Finley add a bit of genuine humour to the otherwise bland script. Mila Kunis is perhaps the most complex of all the witches and her transformation from good to evil is an interesting one, as it makes us question her character’s supposedly ‘evil’ motives in the follow-up. But on the whole there is nothing really to be learned from Oz the Great and Powerful. There are brief glimpses of the tin man, the lion and the scarecrow but these are all cameos merely to give the audience a brief chuckle.

Like so many other prequels, Oz the Great and Powerful is unable recapture any of what made the original so special. Whilst both are essentially children’s films, the original crosses over and appeals to both adults and children; perhaps that it is why it is a film so many people love and why it has stood the test of time. Raimi’s attempt may be visually exciting to watch initially, but ultimately this illusion is no replacement for the real magic of a brilliantly-made film.



Michael Bateson- Hill



 Visit this film's official web site




 

Oz The Great and Powerful - Full Trailer | Official Disney HD

Search

Type any words in the box below to search Thinking Faith for content containing those words, or tick the ‘author’ box and type in the name of any Thinking Faith author to find all of his or her articles and reviews. You can also narrow your search by selecting a category from the dropdown menu.