This past weekend I went to see “Oz the Great and Powerful” (directed by Sam Raimi) with my boyfriend, and was quite impressed with the story living up to its 1939 successor, “The Wizard of Oz.” Considering that “The Wizard of Oz” is most notably one of Hollywood’s treasured gems, I say that its prequel conquered a pretty major feat, by filling in Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers. Sure this movie lacks the musical numbers that its successor thrived in, but I think it extensively shows more depth behind the characters we all know and love.
“Oz the Great and Powerful,” follows a womanizing carnival magician (James Franco) by the name of Oscar (or “Oz” for short) that has a bad habit of making crowds and the traveling circus angry with the cons he pulls. Soon after Oscar wears out his final welcome, he flees from the angry mob in a hot air balloon, but just as he thinks he has escape to safety a deadly twister traps him in its grasp and hurls him away from Kansas and into the land of OZ.
There he finds himself the center of attention as he discovers the people of Oz believe he is the long awaited wizard that is prophesied to defeat the Wicked Witch and bring order to the land with his great power. At first he thinks he’s quest for fame and fortune are answered, but he soon realizes that these riches won’t come without sacrifice when he meets the trio of witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams) who are determined to make him prove that he is indeed, the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Armed with only his magic tricks and few friends, Oscar sets out to discover which of three is the famous Wicked Witch.
This movie serves as a great introduction to one of Hollywood’s iconic movies ever made because it explores the wonderful Land of Oz before it was so great and powerful by providing the origins of several key characters and how they evolved into being the most famous characters of all time. Even though fans of “The Wizard of Oz” will quickly discover which of the three witches is destined to become the green skinned hackling witch that tormented Dorothy (Judy Garland), It’s still entertaining to watch how it all came to be.
What I love about this movie is the fact that the CGI wasn’t too overwhelming. Sure there was a lot of it, but Raimi does a great job balancing vibrant backgrounds with live-action sequences, ultimately making the audience succumb to the magical worlds of Oz. Go see this movie; it’s fun and will make you discover your inner child.
movie night with Alex 