Review of Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) by Matt L — 21 Feb 2014

Let's be honest, you're not going to recreate the original because it is a classic from a different era. If you tried, you'd be seen as unoriginal. Whatever, that's the challenge of doing a prequel to a 1939 iconic musical. This is what it did well: it answered a lot of dangling questions from the original. Seriously, how many more years were going to go by before someone decided to explain how the Wizard got to Oz? Or explain the whole situation of the witches (we now know that Dorothy's house killed Evanora!). The movie also kept you slightly guessing as to who was good or evil. Franco is a perfect choice because he is such a beloved actor at the moment. The china doll and the flying monkey were endearing and comical as well.

Failures would include the darkness of the movie. It's not the lighting, but the general feeling. It doesn't have the upbeat optimism that the original had. Still, it's ambitious and executed fairly well.