Review of Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) by Danny R — 25 Jul 2015

Sam Raimi's kitschy, mediocre $200 million dollar prequel to the beloved 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz." It re-imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's character of Oz, who was played by character actor Frank Morgan in the original classic, here the character has been changed, he is a shallow, selfish, womanizing small-town carnival magician named Oscar Diggs, played by a fatally miscast cast James Franco, who is hurled away by a twister from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz and the Emerald City, he thinks he's hit the jackpot with fame and a fortune in gold which are all his for the taking, that is until he meets three witches Theodora, Evanora, Ginda which are all well played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting.

Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity and even a bit of wizardry Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but into a better man as well.

There are innumerable disappointments in Raimi's film, beginning with his awkward direction, and the lame screenplay by Mitchell Kapner & David Lindsay-Abaire, which is filled with potholes, and then there is James Franco who's bland and superficial performance is all wrong for his character.

The only saving grace is the film's ultra-expense CGI visual effects, some of which are quite impressive, they are designed to recall the cinematic magic of the 1939 classic motion picture. This is Walt Disney Studio's second attempt at trying to capture the magic of the original 1939 classic, in 1985 they release "Return to Oz" which was a mega-bomb at the box office and was also trashed by most critics.

To be fair to this film it is mildly entertaining and some my enjoy it, but most will be let down by it, because this misfire is not exactly great or powerful. Recommended.