Disney's "Oz The Great and Powerful" - Starring James Franco

Photo Credit: Disney

One of the greatest films of all time, The Wizard of Oz, is still popular today, nearly 75 years after its original release. Trying to recapture the magic of that legendary and beloved film is no easy task, but that did not stop director Sam Raimi from trying with the newly released film Oz The Great and Powerful, which is a prequel, of sorts, to Frank L. Baum's classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The films are similar is some ways, but because Warner Bros. owns the rights to The Wizard of Oz, Disney had to careful not to infringe on the original or risk potential legal challenges. 

Oz The Great and Powerful begins in small town Kansas, where a mediocre circus magician, Oscar Diggs (James Franco), romances the ladies, abuses his assistant, Frank (Zach Braff), and tries his best to fool audiences into believing that he is the real deal, which he is not. Oscar is a cad and his bad karma is about to come back to him as a tornado barrels towards the circus while he is running from the boyfriend of one of his potential conquests. Oscar escapes in a hot air balloon which is battered by the powerful storm and is then whisked away to the magical land of Oz. 

Oscar is relieved to be out of harm's way and appears open to the new and wondrous land of Oz, which is populated with original characters and beautiful, vibrant colors. Oscar soon meets Theodora (Mila Kunis), who believes that his appearance may have been foretold in prophecy. Of course, Oscar's not so cheap tricks may have influenced Theodora, whose sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz), serves as a bad influence on her. The witches turn out to be wicked and attempt to manipulate Oscar into believing that Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams) is actually a wicked witch. Theodora quickly falls for Oscar, but Evanora uses her huge crystal ball to show Glinda and Oscar together, thus sparking jealousy in the immature and reactionary witch. 

Theodora becomes a woman scorned thanks to Evanora's manipulations and soon swears revenge on Oscar, his friends and the residents of Oz. From their home base in the Emerald City, the sisters plan an attack as Theodora literally transforms into The Wicked Witch of the West, complete with green skin, a menacing laugh and a broomstick, which is used for transportation and was jokingly mentioned by Oscar during their first encounter. Consider Theodora's transformation as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Oscar is still using his own powers of manipulation by pretending to be a great wizard who will become the savior of Oz. However, he must now act like he is in charge and concocts a plan with the help of the tinkers, the farmers and the beloved munchkins. Yes, they make an unlikely team, but the wicked sisters mean business and even though they seem to have the upper hand, Oscar still has a chance to redeem himself and become the man that he claims to be, which sets the stage for the entertaining final act. 

Oz The Great and Powerful looks sensational. courtesy of cinematographer Peter Deming and the marvelous special effects. The use of color is simply astonishing and allows to film to have an ethereal, otherworldly quality, similar to The Wizard of Oz. The screenplay, by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner, utilizes familiar entities, such as the Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City and subtle references to the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow. The screenwriters also introduce new characters, including the precious China Girl (Joey King), whose village is destroyed by the wicked witch. Oscar and his new found friend, Finlay the monkey (Zach Braff), discover the injured China Girl, who suffered two broken legs. With the help of super glue, Oscar helps the youngster in a very touching scene that may just make you cry. I expect both China Girl and Finlay to quickly become beloved characters. 

I wish the performances were equally as good as the writing and technical aspects of Oz The Great and Powerful. James Franco is fine as Oscar/The Wizard and he believably makes the transition from cad to savior. However, the witches are not as convincing, which is troubling because I expected more from the extremely talented Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz. I do not mean to place the blame completely at their feet, since they may have been portraying the characters as directed. There are additional supporting characters who just do not resonate either. Perhaps additional films in the series will allow the characters to develop fully. Indeed, the overabundance of characters introduced in Oz The Great and Powerful may have been overkill, while the lack of musical numbers is certainly suspect. 

Fans of The Wizard of Oz and the classic Disney formula will likely enjoy Oz The Great and Powerful. This family friendly effort features a few new lovable characters, sends a positive message about being honest and true to yourself and expresses the importance of helping others in need. In addition, the outstanding use of 3D technology enables the film to have a contemporary feel that younger audience members will surely appreciate (and the limited edition glasses are pretty cool, too). I would like to see Oz The Great and Powerful again in order to fully appreciate this relatively fast paced effort and its astounding visuals, which are perhaps the most memorable, great and powerful aspect of the film. Just ask the man behind the curtain if you do not believe me.