The Disney movie “Oz the Great and Powerful”, directed by Sam Raimi of “Spiderman” fame, tells the story of carnival magician Oscar Zoroaster Diggs, nicknamed Oz and played by James Franco.
Upon fleeing his carnival in a hot air balloon to escape the strongman husband of one of his illicit lovers, Oz is whisked away by a tornado to a land, which, whether by coincidence or design, is also called Oz. There, he embarks upon a grand adventure that leads to him becoming the legendary Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and a better man.
“Oz the Great and Powerful” is not the world’s first attempt at remaking the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz”, but it is likely the best of them. The viewer’s trip into the land of Oz is a sight to see, with great sets and wonderful use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) that does not over power the senses.
The performances are, for the most part, well-acted. Rachel Weisz stars as Evanora the Wicked Witch of the West, Milia Kunis is the Wicked Witch of the East, and Michelle Williams gives a noble performance as Glinda the Good Witch.
From the creative opening sequence onward, the film is full of artistic flair, plots of heart and just enough suspense to make it all worth watching.
The Technicolor palette and production design are beautiful. While many of the backdrops are CGI, according to Entertainment Weekly, 30 full sets were built for the film, which brought a nice sense of realness.
One example is when a character named China Girl, who’s voiced by Joey King, begs Oz to let her come along on his witch hunt. During that scene, the Yellow Brick Road, the wooden sign and the stalks of corn are all real. Only China Girl, Oz’s flying monkey sidekick and the sky are CGI.
Because of the excellent CGI effects, the actors never look as if they are confused as to where they are or what is in front of them, as was the case in “Avatar”. They always seem perfectly integrated into the world of the film.
The movies score, from music director Danny Elfman, is excellent, especially with the beautiful theme used for the music box and Theodora’s waltz.
Overall, “Oz the Great and Powerful” is an enjoyable movie, perfect for families. It’s fun and surprisingly touching, with a story that works well.
