Review of Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) by Matt W — 15 Oct 2013

This is definitely a Sam Raimi children's movie.

He somehow creates this campy and silly world, with some almost 'tongue-in-cheek' moments between the characters- and then he will suddenly contrast to some pretty terrifying stuff. Scary witches, the flying monkeys and evil plant things. This film will probably scare your young children, there is a few disturbing moments- especially one that I cannot bring up.

Here's my main problem. I just don't like James Franco in this role. He just didn't work for me at all. There were some scenes where you'd see glimpses that he had it in him, but when he went for the 'magical' moments, he felt like he was trying to hard. I just didn't like him. He just didn't fit.

The witches worked for the most part, with Rachel Weisz giving a great, and campy, performance as the mysterious witch- Michelle Williams was good as the 'Good Witch'. Mila Kunis is the weak link though, as although she worked well in some sections, she did seem to get weaker as the film went along.

The story is a little messy in places, but as the film progresses it starts to get a little back on track, and has a great nostalgic finale. I enjoyed it throughout, even with its flaws. The film is great fun, and moves at a quick pace, but there is no depth here, so all you will get with the film is some fun set pieces, a great visual style and a feeling of nostalgia.

Also, I didn't get to see this in 3D, but this is clearly made to be seen in 3D. It didn't affect my viewing experience too much, but there are lot of 'coming out of the screen' moments.