It looks like Oz the Great and Powerful has found the yellow brick road. This prequel to the everlasting Wizard of Oz is a fantastic looking and entertaining movie. This movie follows the story of , well the Great Wizard of Oz that we remember from the original movie and how he made it to the famous land. Oz or Oscar is played by James Franco who brings a unique and human approach to the man, this magician and con-man is working his fun in a road show in Kansas when he is swept away by you guessed it a tornado to OZ. Once there he meets a beautiful women named Theodora(Mila Kunis) who says that they’ve been waiting for a GREAT WIZARD to fulfill the Prophecy. Once at the Emerald City Oz meets Theodora’s sister Evanora(Rachel Weisz) who tells Oz if he can kill the Wicked Witch then all will be good. As OZ tries to find the witch he meets up with Glinda(Michelle Williams) who informs him that she’s a good witch and he’s been sent on a wild goose chase. Oz meets up with many different characters on his quest including Finley the monkey(Zach Braff) and a China Doll who help the Wizard put many things into perspective.
OZ, the Great and Powerful takes you on a thrill ride to a place many of us cherish because of the original. It’s always fun to see how it all started and how the great Oz made his mark in the Land of Oz. We also get to see the real wicked witch and why she is so wicked but I don’t want to spoil it for ya. James Franco does a great job of as Oz and conveys the low life person Oz is at the beginning, only looking out for himself and his chase of different women. Franco’s spacy and relaxed attitude lends well to this guy who is thrown into a crazy unknown world but still keeps his head on his shoulder. His sense of humor comes across and with the help of Zach Braff(Scrubs) who plays his trusty friend in Kansas and the Monkey Finley in Oz, they make a great team. Franco always keeps a little of the selfish Oz in him throughout the movie just to keep you guessing and I liked that he was who he was.. Mila Kunis brings beauty and a sense of loss that Theodora has when she feels like Oz will take her with him to the throne of Oz and learns the sad truth. Rachel Weisz is just for lack of a better word MEAN as sister Evanora who sets her sights to rule Oz on her own. Meanwhile Michelle Williams shocked me at her soft and loving portrayal of Glinda the good witch, but we do find out that she does have some fight in her.
Sam Raimi directs this colorful and entertaining movie that takes you away and lets you engage yourself in the interesting world of Oz. It is understandable how he picked Franco since they worked together in all 3 of the Spider Man movies Raimi directed. I went to this movie with the idea of fantasy and fun and I received just what I wanted, all the characters play well together and a few surprises come along the way as the telling of the story before Dorothy plays out on the screen. Raimi makes sure to give homage to the original well staking his own path. Go in and have fun and you too will be taken back to the Wonderful World of Oz.
