If I’m really honest with myself I’ve always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz. And I mean of
course I’m talking about the movie and not the book, though honestly I think my having read “Slaughterhouse Five” will kind of cover me in reading from Baum to Carroll. Anyway, the movie itself can be quite disturbing at times and some people I know honestly either hate it for this reason or just refuse to watch it, but I’ve never had a problem with it. So naturally when I saw the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful I was pretty excited. Not only that, but I’ve seen a lot of mediocre films lately, so I was kind of praying as I waited in a mile long line that it would be satisfying. It was and more.
The story follows Oscar, whom everyone in the traveling Baum & Brothers circus just calls Oz. He’s a protégé of Tom Sawyer’s, a smooth talking, well not exactly smooth I should say, but a well-versed and manipulative con man who despite people’s distrust can still amaze them. Truth be told his life is kind of in the trash, with dwindling crowds and even more dwindling finances; he has nothing to show for really. He hasn’t even someone to share his life with. In a somewhat desperate act, after learning he’s in danger of being pulverized from a fellow circus employee, he runs and finds himself in a hot air balloon which apparently is half his. He escapes the clutches of the barbarian chasing him only to get sucked into a tornado, which after a while spews him out in the magical, and colorful, world of OZ.
So, falling out of the sky is irrevocably synonymous with the term prophecy. He is the
great wizard, the ruler of Oz, and all the riches therein will be his, once he defeats the wicked witch, a task well beyond his illusions. With all this in mind, one has to remember that he or she who falls from the sky is always someone simple, someone who never knows what exactly they are truly capable of. It’s kind of like how you never know how strong you can be until strength is the only option you’re left with, and James Franco handles this philosophy surprisingly well. He’s highly egotistical and seemingly no matter how much people believe in and trust him, he still manages to put himself first. This is actually really nice because even though the great and powerful Oz comes off as a heartless jerk in The Wizard of Oz, underneath it all he’s a good man, and it’s nice to know he learned this after his initial arrival.
Still, the movie does move rather quickly, which actually does work because if not then it
would just have a lot of fluff, but with that though it unfortunately sort of drags on in the middle, after Oz’s meeting with Theodora (Mila Kunis), and after his brief tour of the Emerald City. Granted it does bring new characters in, but at times it felt the characters weren’t given their dues when needed. It’s not that they just waltz right into the movie, but once they are in we don’t learn a whole about them. The only character whom we do learn enough about is Glinda (Michelle Williams). It will ultimately be her who is Oz’s greatest asset, and to be honest she’s really more important to the story than Oz himself. Luckily she was given ample screen time, and even with how incredibly versatile Williams is, she managed to just be so sweet she was like sugar. Let it be known though she’s not without her command.
Like I said, her role is integral. She’ll be the one who gives Oz the confidence he needs to
rally his super nice troops together for the big battle. I won’t give away the rather cool twist that the movie has, so I’ll just say Oz has much more than he can handle by himself. So he will concoct what he will call his greatest trick yet, which actually after the drag the movie went on, is not only refreshing but even exciting. The movie ended on a great high note. It always kind of sucks when a movie, or book, or anything with structure has a good beginning and ending but bad middle. Still, it makes the ending all the sweeter, and this ending is fun for both ids and adults.
On that note, a lot of this movie was well-designed for both audiences. And just going hand
in hand with Disney, it does have a good message, which I thought may have been slightly too overshadowed by Oz constantly reminding us of his ego, but all the same the characters make it possible for the kids in the audience to understand: if you believe, anything is possible. That’s pure Disney right there, and I was overly pleased when I heard all the kiddos around me laughing and just enjoying the movie. With both audiences though, like I said, it does work. I had a blast watching this movie, aside from the middle, but still, any parent who goes with their kids will be just fine. Plus I think a lot of them, including myself, were looking forward to witches…
This was actually a very fun movie, partly because it works for both audiences, and it knows how to make you laugh. So I guess it’s this generation’s The Wizard of Oz. Funny, the original had backdrop; this one has C.G.I. Ha, whoda thunk?
Flicks With Maddog 