Review by Bob Ignizio
Womanizing
carnival magician Oscar (James Franco) escapes from the vengeful
boyfriend of a recent conquest via hot air balloon, but soon finds
himself swept away to a magical land via tornado in OZ THE GREAT
AND POWERFUL. Grateful to have survived, Oscar swears to change
his ways. When Oscar finds himself
caught in the middle of a fight between three witches – Theodora
(Mila Kunis), Glinda (Michelle Williams) and Evanora (Rachael Weisz)
for control of the Emerald City, however, his old cad instincts kick
in again as he tries to play the angles in the way that will benefit
him the most. With the whole kingdom counting on him, can Oscar
finally turn over a new leaf and become the great wizard everyone
says he is?
Unless you somehow have absolutely no
knowledge of Frank L. Baum's The Wizard of Oz
and its 1939 film adaptation, it's not much of a mystery. We know
where the Wizard winds up; we just didn't know how he got there. Well,
thanks to OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, now we do. We also get a couple of new
magical characters to take the place of the Cowardly Lion (seen
briefly, or at least I think it was supposed to be him), Tin Man,
and Scarecrow: Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) is a flying monkey who
finds himself stuck helping Oscar with his deceptions, and a little
girl made out of China (Joey King) who may be fragile, but certainly
isn't weak.
As
long as you don't go in expecting a film that can match the enduring
charms of THE WIZARD OF OZ,
you won't be disappointed in director Sam Raimi's lightweight but
enjoyable prequel. Sure, it has a modern day special effects sheen,
but it also has a strong emphasis on story and character. And while
on the surface the film trades in the same tried and true themes
about being yourself and finding inner strength that seem to be the
only message Hollywood is willing to risk putting into a family film
these days, it does so in a more complex and thoughtful manner than
your average throwaway kid vid.
Lately
it seems like every fairy tale and children's adventure story has
been given a dark and twisted makeover for the silver screen. OZ
turns its back on that trend, opting for mostly bright colors and an
optimistic, but not naïve, world-view. The film also takes a
refreshing moral stance against killing. I enjoy a good bit of
violence and mayhem in my movies, make no mistake. I'm just tired of
so many fantasy films, especially the ones aimed at families and
kids, being so cavalier about the taking of life. Here we have a film
that takes an overt stand that killing is not the answer, sticks to
its guns, and still manages to deliver an exciting and imaginative
climax.
Sam
Raimi proves the perfect choice to direct with his knack for frenetic
yet coherent camera work, love of old fashioned Hollywood comedy, and
penchant for likable heels as lead characters all coming into play.
Although he's not credited as a screenwriter, the film's black and
white Kansas section in particular feels very much like something
Raimi might have written. It could just be that James Franco is doing
his best to channel long-time Raimi star/collaborator Bruce Campbell
(who appears in a bit part) with his delivery, but given the way
credits are assigned in movies due to various Guild rules, it
wouldn't surprise me a bit to learn that Raimi had made his own
tweaks to the screenplay.
As
much as I enjoyed OZ,
I don't want to oversell it. It has issues, chief of which is one
that plagues a lot of movies these days: it's just too damn long. An
hour and a half running time would have served this story much
better. At least part of the reason the film drags is that once we
find ourselves over the rainbow, the dialogue becomes noticeably
blander. There just aren't any memorable lines the likes of, “I've
a feeling we're not in Kansas any more.,” or “I'll get you, my
pretty, and your little dog, too!” But hey, give the film credit.
At least it has dialogue that serves to develop its characters and
embellish its themes and story, not just characters yelling
banalities like, “look out” or “fire the catapult” at each
other. It probably also bears mentioning that this trip to Oz doesn't
include any song and dance numbers, which might have served to liven
things up a bit in the dry patches. 3 out of 4 stars.
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