Flash Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful
The prequel really came to the forefront with the Star Wars franchise. I find it to be a valid form to use in the art of making movies. For me it feels like seeing an old friend from college who is now in a love relationship and getting to hear how the two of them met. Excited to see this prequel to the classic film The Wizard of Oz, the movie studio certainly has been marketing it from a ton of commercials to the movie theater employees wearing promotional T-shirts. James Franco (127 Hours, Howl) played carnie magician Oscar Diggs who was swept up into a storm that took him far away from Kansas. Finding himself in a strange land called Oz he encountered Theodora, played by Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Ted), a witch who believed he was the wizard that the prophecy said would come to save her people. James’ acting in this role was proof that his stint as the wooden host of the Oscar telecasts was not a fluke. Joining him in the awful acting department was Mila and Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn, Blue Valentine) as the witch Glinda. The only acting worth talking about came from Rachel Weisz (The Bourne Legacy, The Deep Blue Sea) as Evanora; computer graphic China Girl, voiced by Joey King (Ramona and Beezus, Crazy Stupid Love) and flying monkey Finley, voiced by Zach Braff (Garden State, Scrubs-TV). There were some beautiful and magical scenes, but then there would be flat scenes that were poorly designed. My favorite part of the movie was the last 20-25 minutes that had a cool, creative flair. The script was badly written, not providing depth to the characters which made James Franco’s character extra annoying. Not only was I disappointed by the end of the movie, I felt I had gotten stuck in Oz’ deadly poppy field.
2 1/3 stars
Posted on March 9, 2013, in Fantasy/Sci-Fi and tagged 2 1/3 stars, adventure, family, fantasy, james franco, magic, michelle williams, mila kunis, oz, rachel weisz, witch, zach braff. Bookmark the permalink. 17 Comments.
Movies now depend more and more on Computer Graphics- and have forgotten that it is Characters, Plot and their development and the underlying theme which ultimately hooks people.
ahaha, you did not mince your words, sir. surprisingly, they still come out fair and honest to me… hello, moviejoltz. have a relaxing weekend… 🙂 ~ san
Oh dear, I was rather worried the film would be as you described.
Thanks for the like and for dropping by my blog. I was planning to see this film and you have confirmed my reservations…I’ll probably still see it though, so I can make up my own mind. I especially dislike poor acting, however. Haven’t yet recovered from Russell Crowe’s inexcusable mangling of Javert in Les Miserables.
I will be curious to hear what you think of Oz after you see it. And don’t get me started on Les Miserables, yuck. Thanks for leaving your comments.
Do you believe that Disney are really milking the sequels/prequels? I mean, with 5 Star Wars films planned, a new Tron movie, and this? Judging by your overall opinion on this particular film, do you believe there is a chance that the other features Disney has planned may be as disappointing?
I think the problem is their marketing department. Everything has to have a commercial tie-in, sell a toy or sell a food and creativity is taking a back seat. In regards to the future features Disney is planning I am trying to keep an open mind and judge each movie as it comes out.
Oh dear I was looking forward to this. Wizard of Oz is prob my all-time fave and the trailer really kind of excited me.
If you were looking forward to it then by all means see this movie. Maybe just lower your expectations a bit. Then let me know what you thought of it; I would be curious to hear about it.
I may wait til its on DVD, cinema is so expensive here now, I haven’t actually been to see a film at the cinema in over 2 years! But I’ll let you know once I see it on DVD 🙂
When I first heard about this movie, I was very reluctant. I’m that type of guy who doesn’t like when movie companies mess with old fairy tales. :p I did enjoy the movie, but you hit the nail right on the head with the poorly designed scenes.
It’s a beautiful movie, there’s no doubt about it, but that doesn’t cut it with me. This is part of a franchise that took the world by storm, and to this day is a classic. You can’t just release a movie like this and expect it to receive the same success.
It’s official, this movie could have been better…
Good review again. I said many of your points in my review. Resisted reading any beforehand and see the coo on consensus afterwards.
Thanks for the review I was not sure about this one.
Yes, but how do you REALLY feel 🙂
I really was hoping this would have taken me away into the land of Oz; it was disappointing.
My husband and I saw this movie because he wanted to see it. I had little interest in seeing it so my expectations were extremely low. I found it to be entertaining and was pleasantly surprised. Perhaps having zero expectations is what made it a decent movie for me.