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Oz the Great and Powerful
| Released |
8 March 2013 |
| Director |
Sam Raimi |
Starring
|
James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Abigail Spencer |
Writer(s)
|
Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire |
| Producer(s) |
Joe Roth |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
130 minutes |
| Genre |
Action, adventure, fantasy |
| Rating |
PG |
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A whiz of a wiz.
When I was younger I was scarred for life by the 1985 movie Return to Oz. Where The Wizard of Oz is all glorious technicolor and ruby slippers, Return shows a murky, dystopian world populated by surreal, often disturbing characters; the worst of which were the Wheelers - scarier than anything dreamt up by Sam Raimi for The Evil Dead. Raimi’s own journey to the fabled land of Oz is thankfully less traumatic. Oz the Great and Powerful is a joyous riot of colour that won’t give you nightmares.
The story begins in Kansas at a travelling fair, where we meet Oz (James Franco), a magician of questionable moral fortitude, with a girl in every town and an eye for a quick buck. Caught up in a tornado, Oz is transported to another world. The first person he encounters is Theodora (Mila Kunis), a beautiful witch who believes Oz to be a wizard who, it is prophesied, will save her home from destruction. Riches beyond imagination will be his, just as soon as he defeats the Wicked Witch. But as Theodora’s sisters, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) enter the picture, that task becomes more complicated and treacherous than he had bargained for.
Just like the 1939 classic, Oz... begins in black and white before the screen size expands and an explosion of colour heralds our arrival to the magical land. On an IMAX screen, the effect is perhaps as startling as it would have been to those audiences who first saw the Yellow Brick Road. It’s quite beautiful and the effects are impressive throughout. As well as maintaining this dayglo majesty, Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire’s script manages to capture something of the spirit of The Wizard of Oz, while simultaneously bringing it up to date with a healthy dose of humour. Franco’s Oz isn’t initially the most sympathetic character but his journey from rogue to hero still carries an emotional punch that creeps up in a surprisingly touching last act.
Franco, a left-field choice for the iconic role, is very good indeed; a lovable philanderer who acts as a welcome acidic note to balance out the sugar of Williams and Kunis. On the witchy side, Weisz steals the show as an arch diva in sequins and feathers.
All in all, Oz The Great and Powerful is tremendously enjoyable. Raimi’s mixture of spectacle and sentiment make for a tremendously enjoyable family film.
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Linda O’Brien |
