"Oz the Great and Powerful" Review

"All hail the great and powerful"? Ehhhh, I don't know about that...

Spider-Man and Army of Darkness director Sam Raimi brings us family entertainment of grand design in Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel, of sorts, to Victor Fleming's 1939 cultural milestone The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of how The Wizard (James Franco) comes to find himself in the merry ol' Land of Oz and how he "saves" its people from the wicked hands of witches Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Theodora (Mila Kunis).

What I very much enjoyed about this film is the fact that it lends solid character development to many of the original Oz's familiar faces. The deep characterization of The Wizard, the Wicked Witches of the West and East, and Glinda the Good combine with eye-popping visuals and other clever nods to the original to make Oz the Great and Powerful a must-see for fans of Fleming's film, as well as of L. Frank Baum's classic stories.
I just love the depth that writers Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire lend to Oz's main figureheads. Anyone who's seen the original film might remember that, at the end, Dorothy discovers that The Wizard isn't quite the man she's expecting. We're reminded of that again in Oz the Great and Powerful. Only this time, the secret is apparent from beginning to end, both to the audience and to a few of the characters. It exposes The Wizard as a man seemingly so far out of his element that he's not quite sure what to do or believe. In a way, his character here is much like Dorothy, and that's not a bad thing. Except Judy Garland's wide-eyed wonder is much easier to buy into than James Franco's.
The depth the writers lend to Franco's character is tarnished by his performance, which lacks the life necessary to make this movie truly memorable. It all seems like a grand show for Franco, who comes off as an overacting scumbag more often than the good-hearted savior Oz has been yearning for. Franco's inconsistent performance makes this "Wizard" very hard to root for.

Thankfully, I can't say the same about the film's leading ladies Weisz, Kunis and Michelle Williams as Glinda. Weisz is deliciously convincing as the wicked temptress Evanora. Williams brings her classic good looks and charm out to play as Glinda, a role she seems perfectly comfortable in. But my favorite of the trio has gotta be Mila Kunis as Theodora. Her transformation at the hands of The Wizard is truly spectacular, and one could make the case that she is his greatest magic trick of all. This is Kunis like you've never seen her, and she's a blast to watch.

Aside from the leads, fine work is also turned in by Zach Braff and Joey King, who pull metaphoric double-duty much like Ray Bolger and Bert Lahr did in the original. In Kansas, Braff plays Oz's assistant, and King plays a wide-eyed young girl in a wheelchair who comes to see Oz's magic show. In the Land of Oz, Braff plays Finley, a flying monkey who accompanies The Wizard as his assistant, and King plays a talking China doll whose legs The Wizard mends after her village is ravaged by Evanora's flying baboons. If you ask me, the connection here is more noticeable than in the original. See for yourself and decide.

The special effects are also wondrous to behold. The Emerald City is dazzling, and the rest of the land is rich with color and detail. For as over-the-top as many of the set pieces and stunts are, not once did the CGI appear cartoonish or hackneyed. It's clear that Raimi's art department gave their tender lovin' care to do justice to Baum's and Fleming's original visions.

As I said before, what really ruined the film for me was James Franco. With another actor in the part, perhaps this Oz could've truly lived up to its "great" and "powerful" name. Aside from that, there's still fun to be had in Oz the Great and Powerful with astounding visuals, nice character development, and subtle odes to the '39 classic. A good movie overall, but don't feel like you have to journey down the Yellow Brick Road to your nearest theater. Save a few bucks and just rent the Blu-Ray when it comes out.

6.5 / 10 STARS*
(*Switching to 10 STAR rating system instead of traditional 4. Gives me a little more leeway.)