MOVIE REIVEW: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013)

One of the challenges in catching up on reviews is trying to remember all of these movies. I watched this one 11 years ago, and it didn’t leave me with much of a lasting impression beyond the fact that it is an interesting take on the origins of the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West. Even after reviewing the plot and watching some clips online, my true opinion at the time I watched seems to have faded from memory. I’ll cobble together what fragments remain.

This is the story of Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a conman and traveling magician who escapes from Kansas to the land of Oz in a hot air balloon. Upon his arrival, he meets a witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis). She, in turn, takes Oscar to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) in the Emerald City. They set Oscar on a journey to defeat a wicked witch name Glinda (Michelle Williams), who they claim poses a grave threat to the people of Oz. Along the way, Oscar learns that all is not what it seems in Oz, and he uses his own talents to stir things up.

Comparisons to the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz are inevitable, but also unhelpful. Disney was not allowed to replicate too much of the look of Oz or the characters because of copyrights held by MGM. Oz the Great and Powerful is very much a spiritual sibling to the beloved 1939 film, and you almost have to look for continuity between this prequel and the story that we all know that follows it.

The major difference, and perhaps hindrance, is that this film is grander in scale and scope. Whereas the 1939 film holds closely to L. Frank Baum’s simpler story, this film delves deeper into backstories that necessitate subversion of what we consider Oz canon. Some of that works, as this is a prequel, but it complicates audience buy-in, particularly for those who adore the 1939 film. The end result is a mixed bag of interesting ideas and ideas that we just can’t get behind.

This film is much more action oriented that its 1939 predecessor. Disney doesn’t hold back bringing the vibrant and visually unique land of Oz to life with a hefty dose of visual effects. Some of this works very well- I recall being impressed by the China doll character. But just because you can make bigger, bolder action sequences doesn’t mean that you should. Some sequences feel too effects-heavy, removing us from a world that our characters actually live in and share space with.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to this film was the success of the musical Wicked, based off of a book that goes to great lengths to subvert the 1939 film. Oz the Great and Powerful tries to balance subversion and reverence. It’s hard to mix the feel-good sentimentality of yesteryear with modern cynicism and power struggle. This leaves us with a film that becomes little more than a pretty good idea bogged down by the success of other related products.

FINAL RATING: 3.25 out of 5