FILM: Oz the Great and Powerful

Oscar only wanted one thing in life: to be great. A master illusionist in a traveling circus, he dazzles audiences with tricks that leave you breathless and make you jump out of your seat. But when a storm of doubt fills a crowd in Kansas, Oscar takes his bag of tricks and trusty hat into a hot-air-balloon and escapes their grasp leading him into the eye of the storm, crashing into the realm of a wonderful new land – the magical land of ‘Oz’, where everything is what it seems.

The Story

Based on L. Frank Baum’s novels, it obviously has to follow the plot of the original story. Nevertheless for those of you who haven’t seen it, it bears a resemblance to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, minus the Dorothy, Toto, The Lion, The Scarecrow and The Tinman. (Seeing as I did not see Wicked, nor read the novel, I’m not sure how close this is to Gregory McGuire’s portrayal of the story.) Pretty much, Oscar (pseudonym: ‘Oz’) is caught in a tornado, like Dorothy, and after saying a desperate prayer to God, he finds himself in a mystical land called (conveniently), Oz. After landing in Oz, he finds himself in the middle of a witch war where he is suddenly told that he would be Oz’s saviour from the Wicked Witch.

Now, for any of you who have ever seen The Wizard of Oz, this storyline is pretty much the same. They took out the singing and dancing along with the main characters and replaced them with great special effects and the original supporting characters became the main characters. I’m serious – they even have Oz characters resembling Kansas characters like the 1939 film. I can’t really say too much about the story without telling you guys too much or comparing it to the 1939 film.

Special Effects

I will commend the special effects team for creating a beautiful Oz. The colours were so vibrant and the images were so sharp that Oz really was a land that crossed reality and imagination. I can see how some scenes in the beginning would be perfect in 3D, but I’m still not convinced with whether or not the rest of the film would have been any different in 3D. But kudos to the team!

The Cast

James Franco – I have to be honest and say that this hasn’t been is best performance, but that doesn’t mean he was terrible. I thought he was brilliant in making the clear distinction when he was acting like Oz and when he was just Oscar. Obviously, it was clear that Michelle Williams’ characters were suppose to trigger truth in him, but it was nice to see that Franco made it clear that when Oz was performing he was not very convincing – dazzling, but not completely convincing, while Oscar wasn’t performing, he was actually greater that he saw himself to be, or strived to be.

Mila Kunis – Was a brilliant Theodora. Out of everyone in the film, she was the most convincing. Battling between two natures, Kunis’ performance allowed the audience to ask whether or not she was the Wicked Witch or whether she was who she said she was, and believes she is – a Good Witch. Kudos to Mila for a brilliant performance.

Michelle Williams – Playing a blast from Oz’s alternate universe of the girl who got away, it’s inevitable that the chemistry between Williams and Franco was flawless. She was an excellent Glinda / Annie and was a great supporting role to Franco as she took on board the role of the only person who saw through Oscar both as Annie and as Glinda.

Rachel Weisz – Much like Kunis, I thought Weiz was a brilliant Evanora. You were constantly questioning whether or not she was good or evil. Being the King’s right-hand-woman, you instinctively believe that she is good, but at the same time, something makes you doubt her. I think she was a brilliant support to Kunis and opposition to both Williams and Franco.

Overall

There’s nothing really new in this film, story wise, but it is a beautiful film that leaves you thinking about the deception of life and whether or not you’ve every been fooled by fancy gifts, kind words or even dazzling tricks that leave you empty. It also makes you think of your own reasons in doing and saying things, reminding you that though you may fool the world, even those who truly love you, the only person you’re really fooling through and through is yourself.

sL Star Rating: 3 Stars

Next: Warm Bodies