Oz....Is It That Great?

"Oz the Great and Powerful", Is It Really Great?

               "Oz the Great and Powerful" is a prequel to the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz". This action packed fantasy will keep you wondering what’s next. It's without fail entertaining, charming, and an absolute bewitching fairy tale story that stylishly evokes the 1939 classic while making it entertaining for modern-day audiences. It's a movie that will be enjoyed by young children as well as the elderly. Is the "Oz the Great and Powerful" really that great?

                A small-time circus magician, Oliver Diggs, finds himself scheming and conning everyone in dusty Kansas. He gets himself in trouble, as always, and needs to escape quickly. He jumps into a hot air balloon and takes off into the sky. He is unaware of the Kansas twister headed straight toward him. He is swept away by the twister and lands in the magical land of Oz. He is greeted by a temperamental witch, Theodora, who believes that he is the wizard that was named after the land. The people of Oz were told that the wizard would fall from the sky, beat the evil witch, and take the throne. When she explains this to him, he thinks he will have it made with fame and fortune.  Theodora takes Oz to Emerald City to meet her sister, Evanora, who is a powerful and conniving witch. On their way to meet Evanora they meet Finley, a flying monkey. Evanora explains that he won’t be able to take over the throne until he has taken care of the “evil” witch, Glinda. So he sets off on his mission to take the throne and become king. Finley and Oz encounter little China Girl after her home and family had been broken into pieces. Oz helps put the girl back together. The sweet, fragile, fearless little China Girl joins in on the adventure. They see a witch and plan on getting her wand where she will lose all power. They come to find out that the witch is not evil at all, but Glinda the Good. She explains who the actual evil witch is and they plot out a plan to take the city back. Oz isn’t too keen on taking on the evil witch. He is not the great, powerful, or brave man that he tries to portray at times. Glinda knows that even though he isn’t the exact wizard they were looking for, that he is the only one they have. Meanwhile back in Emerald City, Evanora convinces Theodora that Oz tricked her and doesn’t love her. She poisons Theodora with an apple and makes her even more evil than she is. They go to battle and Oz’s love for Thomas Edison and his inventions become handy as he creates different things to trick the evil witches. His inventions not only trick the witches but everyone in Emerald City. In the end, Oz learns how to love and cherish friendships. He wants to help others and realizes that sometimes its better to be good than great.

                Most reviews haven’t been that great but I found it to be entertaining. My six year old loved the movie and hasn’t stopped talking about it since we seen it in theaters. Every time the commercial comes on for it she sits down and watches it. It wasn’t in the top ten movies I’ve ever seen or even twenty but it is definitely enjoyable to watch. James Franco holds his own as the wizard. I believe I could have done without the three witches, two is plenty. The fact that they kept some of the things similar to “The Wizard of Oz” was exciting. I loved that they kept the first half in black and white and made the Land of Oz beautiful and vibrant. The movie in 3d is great. The fact that it wasn’t a musical made me very happy. I’m not big on too many musicals and the fact that there was no singing was awesome. The story line was fantastic, the actors did an exceptional job, and the ending was great. China Girl and Finley are hard not to fall in love with. The movie is sweet and funny and appealing to the entire family.

                “Oz the Great and Powerful” was directed by Sam Raimi, who also directed the “Spiderman” trilogy and “Freaks and Geeks”. He did a wonderful job with the making of this film. The cast included James Franco (Oz), Mila Kunis (Theodora), Rachel Weisz (Evanora), Michelle Williams (Glinda), Joey King (China Girl) and Zach Braff (Finley).

Trailer for “Oz the Great and Powerful”
http://youtu.be/BnHiAkAEeCI

Oz and Finley
http://youtu.be/SqGsfnx3JQw

China Girl
http://youtu.be/EpzJQoWm6Nk