Disney's new fantasy adventure may lack depth- but more than makes up for that with visual wizardry and an interesting look at the origins of the story.It's mind boggling how many adaptations of L. Frank Baum's
Oz works we've seen in the past 70-plus years. There's the one everyone knows and loves: 1939's musical
The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. 1978's urban
The Wiz starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. 1985's Disney cult sequel
Return to Oz. The revered 2003 Broadway prequel
Wicked, which launched Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth to superstardom. There's been a 1990s animated
The Wizard of Oz TV series based on the 1939 film (ruby slippers and all) and a recent miniseries
The Witches of Oz. And in case you forget, the 2005 TV-movie starring The Muppets.
Every new incarnation of the
Oz story tries to reinvent the wheel. Some work, some don't. Baum's books lie in the public domain, which means that any studio can pick them up and adapt them to their liking. Which is exactly what Disney has done this year.
2010's Tim Burton-Johnny Depp collaboration
Alice In Wonderland was an unprecedented smash hit. It grossed $116 million in it's US opening weekend and went on to make a billion worldwide. Of course, several factors played into
Alice's success. It was released just after
Avatar at the peak of the 3D phenomenon. The potent combination of Burton and Depp was another factor. Hoping to recreate some of that magic (especially after 2012's
John Carter debacle), Disney's new
Oz incarnation
Oz The Great and Powerful flies into theatres this month.
In perfect tribute to the original 1939 film (the prequel to which this movie aspires to be)
Oz The Great and Powerful opens in slightly sepia-toned black and white and remains so for the first 20 minutes. The hypnotic opening credits do a fantastic job of showcasing the 3D effects. We are introduced to circus magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco), who lives a life of conning people and impressing women with music boxes passed off as family heirlooms. Making an escape in a hot air balloon, Oscar finds himself transported into the land of Oz, a fantastic world populated by strange plants, creatures and mysterious witches. Quickly, he meets Theodora (Mila Kunis), one of Oz's witches and Finley, an endearing and brilliantly animated flying monkey (voiced by Zach Braff, who also appears in the opening). Together they set off for the Emerald City, with an infatuated Theodora believing that Oscar is indeed the prophesied wizard come to save the citizens of Oz. Theodora's sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) is not convinced, and sends Oscar off on a quest to destroy the wicked witch's wand. Oscar and his new sidekick, Finley team up with a girl made of china (wonderfully voiced by Joey King, who also has a scene in the opening) and travel to the Dark forest, where they happen to meet Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams, who's also in the opening as a love interest). Things are straightened out, and Oscar finds himself facing off against the true Wicked Witch and saving the people of Oz, fulfilling his destiny and becoming a better man.
It goes without saying that the film is visually dazzling. The CGI is some of the best I have ever seen in a movie. There are a few parts where it looks fake, but overall, it's impressive. Save for a few gimmicks, the 3D is mind blowing. You'll find things flying out of the screen all the time-including mischievous water fairies and terrifying winged monkeys. A particular highlight is the tornado sequence. In short, visually, you're not going to feel disappointed.
The land of Oz is marvelous in itself. Disney and Sam Raimi do a great job of recreating the wonder we saw in the original film. This time around, newer technology gives us a more well-realized vision of the land. Butterfly trees, ruby flowers, and awe-inspiring scenes of nature are the standouts. I was disappointed in the Emerald City, which was so well portrayed in the 1939 film. It looks grand on the outside, but its interior is barely given focus. We see some dark streets and overhead bridges- but many citizens aren't even dressed in green. For me, that was a major problem! The Munchkins are, this time around, a big mixture. There's black and even Asian ones in the boiling pot called Oz. I loved their costumes- they were carefully differentiated from those in the original film (in order to evade copyright infringement) but are still elaborately detailed and vivid.
The most satisfying aspect of the film is the fact that it has a strong, cohesive story. It was compelling and emotionally investing enough and provides a fantastic back story to
The Wizard of Oz. Sadly, the actors don't do much justice to their roles. Franco was not convincing, neither as a fraud nor as a changed man. I didn't even know that he was supposed to be eccentric. It just came across as fake. The three women's talents were underused as well. For most part, the bland dialogue brought them even lower, and in the end we just have a bunch of passable characters who look very pretty.
The two characters who stole the show were both non-human ones. Finley the Flying Monkey and China Girl, who are both brilliantly animated and wonderfully voiced. Finley pretty much steals every scene he's in, and most of the audience's laughs are thanks to him. China Girl lends a little pathos to the film. She has a few really fun parts that lift the mood of the film ("I wanna be a heart. Can I be a heart?"). Her animation is top-notch and she looks like real china.
I'd not recommend this movie for very young children (say, under 10), because there are some truly frightening scenes. Women transform into gruesome witches and deadly winged monkeys claw through the screen. Basically, nightmares for your little ones.
One thing that fans of the 1939 movie will love is the sheer number of references this film makes to it. In fact, the entire movie is more or less a homage to
The Wizard of Oz. The film opens in black and white, with vivid color bleeding in as soon as we enter Oz. It's not as effective as the iconic "door open" in the original, but works well. Munchkins break into song, the Yellow Brick Road has its spiral start in Munchkinland, and Glinda travels by bubble. The sleep-inducing poppy field is still very much there. Even a lot of dialogue was directly inspired by the 1939 film.
The film sets itself up perfectly for a sequel (which by the way, is happening). Sam Raimi's style makes this CGI-loaded fest a real treat. Its a bit too long (2 hours and 7 minutes) and has issues with consistency, but
Oz The Great and Powerful offers up great entertainment and a fantastic origin story.
Clearly, Disney has faith in their live action-CGI extravaganzas. With
Oz becoming the #1 movie at the global box office this month, it could be well on its way to making a billion. Disney has a slew of live action-CGI adaptations of famous stories, including next summer's Angelina Jolie-starrer
Maleficent (
Sleeping Beauty from the villain's perspective), and possible adaptations of
Cinderella and
Beauty and the Beast. If the success of
Oz is any indication, there's no end in sight. Like it or not.
Oz The Great and Powerful is a good film. What it lacks in substance, it makes up for in razzmatazz. Not just for fans of all things Oz, but for those who like their movies grand and dazzling,
Oz is a must watch.
RATING: ★★★1/2Related Review: Mariah Carey: "Almost Home" (Theme from Oz The Great and Powerful)
