Oz the Great and Powerful

"The Wizard of Oz" is one of my top ten favorite fantasy films. Growing up, I also watched "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" anime TV show and I also once saw the Disney studio film, "Return to Oz". "Oz the Great and Powerful" was pretty good and IMAX was a great way to see it. The film made enough references to the original film to satisfy me and I liked how Sam Raimi's directorial trademarks worked hand in hand with the depiction of Oz that Disney came up with. The film isn't perfect but it is something to be seen in 3D, just as the original film was supposed to be seen in color instead of on a black-and-white TV screen.

The opening of the movie had a few pace problems in introducing the main character. It felt a little rushed. I did however enjoy seeing characters in Kansas that had counterparts in Oz. That was my favorite reference to the classic film. Michelle Williams was Annie and the character Annie is eluded to be Dorothy's mother. Zach Braff was Frank the assistant and Joey King was the handicapped girl. I like how the magic show was portrayed. Oscar's performance wasn't just for the audience in the tent but for the film audience as well. We are trying to guess how he is performing his trick just like those on screen. We also find out what kind of performer he is. Suddenly out of nowhere comes some serious storytelling with the cry "Make me walk". What makes the moment even more dramatic is the girl's parents offering all their money to him. In this movie, Disney is using the "The Hero's Journey" story motif just as the classic film did. We have a protagonist with a dream who is sent on an adventure. The main character is worth more than in their initial situation. Usually, I hate when the aspect ratio of the 3D movie is such that it allows objects to appear to spill out of the screen such as on films like "G-force" and "Life of Pi". The reason why I dislike such gimicks is because special effects take center stage instead of the story being told. In "Oz the Great and Powerful" however, there is a story purpose that justifies the change from black and white 4:3 to widescreen color 2:35:1. This change in aspect ratio represents our hero crossing the threshold from his usual world into a new and unfamiliar place. The classic film also employed such a tactic so that Oz would come across as truly magical. This films follows suit and what I like is that the transition in aspect ratio happens ever so slowly. As Oscar floats down the river, we have a long shot of various wondrous plants and flowers. This is once again a reference to "The Wizard of Oz" because in that film, we have a long shot of the colorful Munchkin Land. The special effects are not just there to be eye candy and that is important to me.

One character flaw of Oscar is that he is a womanizer and must understand the consequences of such actions. This is accomplished by the Theodora plotline. Her introduction and initial scenes are such that most of the audience members cannot conceive who she will become. The casting of Mila Kunis also helped to keep the audience in the dark. By way of this movie, the Wicked Witch of the West becomes a tragic character in the same way that Darth Vader did thanks to the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The true villain in this movie is Evanora as performed by Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, even though her character is supposed to be less villainous than her sister. I like Weisz more in the "Mummy" films personally but having said that, her performance was good enough that I wish that a house would fall on her character. Evanora is very manipulative. An important part of "The Hero's Journey" is that the hero has companions there to assist. Thus we have Findley & China Girl. I feel that China Girl is the best use of special effects in the whole movie. She steals the show because she provides a dramatic performance, one that changes Oscar's heart. He realizes the horrific consequences of his lie. I love the allusion to the opening sequence as Oscar fixes China Girl so she can walk. "Oz" not only pays tribute to the MGM film but spoofs it such as when the Munchkins start to sing and are subsequently told to stop. At some point on the hero's journey, he must reject his destiny. Despite having lied, he regrets it once in Glinda's domain and wants to leave. This leads well into the climax and my favorite part about the end of this movie is that you are kept guessing as to what is going to happen. This movie has a great payoff, even after multiple viewings.

Some people might ask why "Oz the Great and Powerful" is not a full-on prequel. For example, the cowardly lion is not portrayed as a man in a suit and there is no mention of the ruby slippers. The reason for this is that Warner Brothers owns the rights to the classic MGM film. Disney bought the rights to the other L. Frank Baum books in the mid 50's but lost them after the failure of "Return to Oz" and the books once again became public domain. When you think about it though, Disney is the best studio to tackle this franchise. Oscar-winning production designer Robert Stromberg came up with a Disney version of the Land of Oz that both celebrates the MGM version in a slight way but also references the style of Disney animated films from the same era. Sam Raimi still got to be himself though. The opening credit sequence was typical of him as were some fast zooms. The POV shots of the vicious flowers in the Dark Forest remind me of similar shots in "Spider-Man 2". He has experience in the horror genre and seeing as how "The Wizard of Oz" is #43 of the American Film Institute's list of the most thrilling movies in Hollywood history, he was a good choice as director. Sometimes, Danny Elfman's music is so recognizable that it distracts us from the viewing experience but not so much with this film so that is nice. Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp were both approached to play Oscar. Depp was interested but unfortunately wanted to be in "The Lone Ranger" instead. I think either actor would have been a treat, not saying that James Franco did poorly. Another fun fact: Franco was trained in stage magic in preparation for this role. To date, this is Mila Kunis' most daring role. "Black Swan" doesn't seem as daunting to me as portraying the #4 villain on AFI's list of all-time movie villains. I was quite impressed because just like the entire film, Kunis' performance was her own but slightly referenced the classic witch. Both Zach Braff and Joey King recorded their lines on set with the other actors and I like that. It was great to also see Bill Cobbs and Bruce Campbell in this film (Raimi always has Campbell cameo in his movies).

This film is sort of an indirect prequel to "The Wizard of Oz". You have some obvious nods to that film, many of which I have not mentioned, but you can tell that this is still a Disney film. Raimi was also able to put his directorial brand on "Oz the Great and Powerful". No one should expect perfection when they go to see this movie but at least the 3D was well done. Just pay no attention to the people behind the scenes and let the story entertain you.

4 Stars out of 5