Nick Flemming’s hit movie “The Wizard of Oz” took the nation over the rainbow in 1939 and revolutionized color cinema. Sam Raimi’s risky prequel “Oz the Great and Powerful” has hit the box offices 74 years later. The untold story of Oz was captivating, but crucial faults kept this precursor from being too “great and powerful”.
Raimi’s film opens up in the familiar black and white setting of Kansas in the early 1900s. At a small fair we are introduced to the film’s main character; mediocre magician and dubious con man Oscar “Oz” Diggs (James Franco). Along with handsome qualities and a winning smile, Diggs has charm which hides his selfish and deceitful ethics. Troubled with little wealth and an insignificant job of performing traditional magic acts in a traveling circus alongside his partner and helper-monkey Frank (Zach Braff), Diggs is not living the life he wanted. He believes he is destined for great things.
Much like the twister that captured Judy Garland in the 1939 classic, a tornado lifts up Diggs in a hot air balloon and takes him to the magical and vibrant Land of Oz. Upon arrival, Diggs is met by a mysterious witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis) who is quickly entranced by his charm. She tells him of the prophecy which states “a great wizard bearing the name of the land will descend from the heavens and save us all.” Mesmerized with gaining the fame and fortune of being the ruler of Oz, Diggs embarks on a quest to destroy the wicked witch, restore peace to the land and claim his throne in the Emerald City. Diggs is accompanied by Finley the hysterical winged monkey (Zach Braff) and the fragile but sassy China Girl (Joey King). Dodging flying monkey air raids sent by the evil witch and carrying the heavy load of living up to his wizardly expectations, Diggs charms his way through the Land of Oz. With a few twists along the way, the journey challenges Diggs’ faith in himself along with his will to “do great things”.
Unfortunately, the acting does not quite live up to the story. James Franco has all the looks for the leading role of Oscar “Oz” Diggs. His cheshire cat-like toothy grin seems perfectly fitting for the part of a devilishly charming and crafty magician. However, when it came to actually acting, he lacked feeling and was not convincing. When the movie started off in black and white Kansas, this sort of acting could’ve been accepted to bring us back in time. But when the tornado struck, the bad acting traveled with Franco to the Land of Oz. Don’t get me wrong. I respect Franco. His roles as the revengeful Harry Osborne in the Spider Man trilogy (also directed by Raimi) and Aron Ralston in “127 Hours” were brilliant. That being said, Franco’s talents shine occasionally throughout dramatic periods of the movie. His acting was not all bad, but it definitely could have been better given the dynamic character he was cast as.
One cannot go wrong with casting the stunning Mila Kunis. She was a fit for the mysterious Theodora, and unlike Franco, took the part with feeling. However, aside from a few witchy moments that took us back to her stint as Jackie in “That 70’s Show”, her character was rather dry. I do not believe the script writers fully recognized her acting talent. Better writing could have cultivated her performance.
Luckily, Diggs had company on his journey. Admirable acting by Zach Braff (Finley), Joey King (China Girl) and Michelle Williams (Glinda) give the audience a break from Franco. Finley humored us
with lines and actions much like the role Braff played as JD in the hit TV show “Scrubs”.
Throughout the movie, we are still reminded of the brilliance and creativity captured in Flemming’s original movie. Elements from the 1939 classic are used such as the famous yellow brick road and the magical but deadly poppy flowers. Perhaps the most clever connection came when Diggs calls a lion a coward. This witty allusion to The Cowardly Lion from the original movie was an ingenious addition to the script. Also, just like the original movie, numerous characters from Kansas appeared again in the Land of Oz. While parallels are artsy, the lack of musical numbers was for the best.
“Oz the Great and Powerful” offers a creative and original story of how the man behind the curtain came to be, but poor acting and dull moments kept it from reaching the story’s full potential. “Oz” is simply suitable as its own individual movie. Prequels are always a gamble, but in this case, the return over the rainbow was nice.
Story: B+
Resembling a magician’s act, Disney’s story was filled with unexpected twists, turns and excitement which kept the two-hour movie from being an endless marathon. The film successfully reached its goal of manufacturing a story to precede the 1939 classic.
Screenplay: B
Writers brought back some elements of the original movie, which was enjoyable. There were some memorable lines, but unfortunately, the writing was a cause of some acting faults.
Acting: B-
The screenplay did not give much room for actors to shine. James Franco was given a big suitable role and very well could have engulfed himself more into the part. This would have improved the movies’ overall grade dramatically. Zach Braff was a pleasing addition and performed well in his return to showbizz. Other actors and actresses complimented the movie as well.
Visual Effects/Cinematography: B
Landscapes and foliage are blurry and unclean from afar. However, views of Finley and the China Girl up close are acceptable. A zero-gravity moment during the tornado was neat.
Musical Score: A
Accomplished composer Danny Elfman (“The Simpsons” theme, “Spider Man” trilogy) was the perfect pick to arrange the musical score for “Oz”. From bouncing carnival music to a strong brass Emerald City theme fit for royalty, Elfman orchestrated powerful music for every scene of Raimi’s story.
Overall: B
Please keep in mind this is a high ‘B’, very close to being a B+, but the acting was simply not good enough for such a grade. A strong and original story successfully told the story of Oz. Disney took a risk with this one, and it might have just been worth it.
