- Title: Oz The Great and Powerful
- Director: Sam Raimi
- Date: 2013
- Studio: Disney
- Genre: Fantasy, Children
- Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Joey King, Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi
- Format: Color, Widescreen
- Blu-Ray Format: NTSC
"You want me to lead an army that can't kill?" - Oz
"If this was easy, we wouldn't need a Wizard, would we?" - Glinda
"So you're not the wizard I was expecting. [pause] So you don't have the powers I thought you'd have. But you're here. There must be a reason. Maybe you're capable of more than you know." - Glinda
"Look, I know I'm not the Wizard you were expecting. But I might just be the wizard that you need." - Oz
Oz the Great and Powerful starts in black and white in 4 x 4 ratio (it should be 3X4 but the Blu-Ray has it boxed as an exact square). Oz is a magician and con-man in a small, and shabby travelling circus, and he's not even that good a magician. He's actually running away from his latest conquests boyfriend, when he leaps into a hot air balloon and is whooshed away in a tornado.
He crash-lands in the land of Oz, and when he does, not only does the film change from black and white to color - but the film literally opens up to wide-screen too. The image rolls to the side and up to fill the screen. It's both reminiscent of the famous 1939 film starring Judy Garland (which starts in black and white and becomes Technicolor in Oz), and an almost physical transportation into a new world. And what a colorful world it is. The colors are bright, and beautiful, and it really does look like technicolor. Especially in the opening, and early scenes, the scenes in Oz almost feel like animation - classic Disney animation at that and it's truly beautiful.
Oz crash-lands in a river, and meets Theadora, a woman dressed in red and black. When Oz introduces himself, she tells him of her father's the king's prophecy - that one day, a great Wizard, bearing the name of "our land", will come to save all the people, and become the new king. Oz gives Theadora one of his music boxes, as he has to many other women that he's been interested in, telling her the made-up story that it belonged to his late grandmother. He then dances with Theadora. She's smitten.
Theadora takes Oz to the Emerald City and introduces him to her sister, Evadora, the royal adviser. She also becomes instantly interested in Oz. She gives him a tour of the palace, shows him the royal treasury, then tells him he must save the Land of Oz by killing the Evil Witch. Oz isn't so sure about the whole "killing" thing, but when he learns that destroying the witch's wand will kill her, he agrees.
Oz, along with a highly amusing talking monkey in a bell-hop's uniform head out on their quest. Along the way, they see smoke, and wander into the destroyed China Town. There they meet and rescue the China Girl, and Oz repairs her legs with glue. China Girl joins their quest.
They soon enter the Dark Forest. Oz has a plan to distract the Evil Witch and steal her wand. But when he meets Glinda - he learns she is a Good Witch, and it's Evadora who's wicked - and who killed her father.
Meanwhile, Evadora is laying plans, and manipulating her sister, Theadora.
Glinda convinces Oz to help her. Evanora's men and flying baboons attack. Glinda creates a ground fog for cover. Oz, China Girl, Finley, and Glinda end up on the edge of cliff, with a wind-swept tree in silhouette and a sunset behind them. Yes, it looks like the famous scene in Gone with the Wind. Glinda dives off the cliff, and they all travel by bubble to her castle in Quadling Country. There, Oz meets the good people of
Theadora, turned green and evil by her sister, arrives and threatens Oz - then leaves.
Oz is unsure of himself, and doesn't really know what to do. But after Glinda tells him he might have more potential than he thinks he does, and after telling China Girl a bedtime story about the great wizard Thomas Edison, Oz gets an idea.
Oz puts the Quadling people to work, each to their own special ability. They work to his plan.
The next day, Oz orchestrates his plan. He even has some surprises for his own followers. The plan, which I don't want to spoil, is perfect, makes great sense for an idea that comes from con-man/magician from Kansas, and most importantly - it works. Which isn't really a spoiler, as this film is a pre-quel to The Wizard of Oz.
Overall, Oz the Great and Powerful, was just a beautiful film. It looks gorgeous. You really don't see a lot of movies that look so beautiful anymore. For once, CGI, that screams, "look at me - I'm pretty CGI," works, because it adds to the storybook feel of the film. And the colors are simply gorgeous, beautiful, incredible. At times, especially in the first few scenes in Oz, this film really looks like an animated feature. I'm assuming that was intentional. The animated look brings the Land of Oz to life - and sets it as a new world.
I also, really, really, really loved that this film opens in black and white. The move from black and white to color, and from cropped 4x4 ratio to widescreen is handled very well.
James Franco does a great job playing Oz as a lovable rogue - who, at the start, in Kansas, has no moral scruples, really. But, in Oz, he comes into his own, and learns his own lessons. Oz is a fallible hero, and he learns how to be a leader, with Glinda's help (not to mention Finley and even China Girl), which makes for a good film.
Overall, this is a wonderful, feel-good movie, that is also great for children.
Recommendation: See it, especially good for children.
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Next Film: Either The Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug or The Prestige.
No comments:
Post a Comment