Oscar "Oz" Diggs (James Franco) and Theodora (Mila Kunis) in Oz the Great and Powerful
Oz the Great and Powerful is a fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi, produced by Joe Roth, and written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner.
The film is based on the Oz Series by american author L. Frank Baum and stands as an indirect prequel to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. It was released on March 8th, 2013.
THE CAST
James Franco as "Oz" Oscar Diggs
Mila Kunis as Theodora / The Wicked Witch of the West
Rachel Weisz as Evanora / The Wicked Witch of the East
Michelle Williams as Glinda, the Good Witch of the South / Annie from Kansas
Zach Braff as Finley / Frank from Kansas
Joey King as China Girl / Wheel-chair bound girl from Kansas
Tony Cox as Knuck
Bill Cobbs as Master Tinker
Abigail Spencer as May from Kansas
Bruce Campbell as A Winkie Guard
SYNOPSIS
Oscar Diggs is a womanizing con artist and magician who travels with a Midwest circus, but he is soon swept away by a tornado that takes him to the Land of Oz. Once there, Oscar is assumed to be the Great Wizard the people have been waiting for, who is to save them from the ways of the Wicked Witch. Oscar knows he isn't the true Wizard, but with the help of Glinda the Good Witch, Finley, China Girl, and the people of Oz, Oscar finds the great man inside of himself in this prequel to the timeless L. Frank Baum series.
TRAILER
MY THOUGHTS
Yes, I know I late, thanks for reminding me (;-D JK). Anyway... wow, that's really all I can say for this one. I have always been a fan of The Wizard of Oz, and if I had to pick a movie I'd like to see before I die, The Wizard of Oz would definitely take the hat. I have been knowing that Disney had planned on doing this film since about 2011, and I was probably one of the first to be extremely excited when the first promotional poster surface online in 2012, see here. Besides that, I have always wanted to do my own adaption to the story myself, so if any other existed, I had to see.
I went on premiere night with a friend who was really a fan of the 1939 MGM film, but she too was very excited about the film (mostly because of James Franco, but anyway). I was slightly nervous that I wouldn't like, since I had seen reviews on the film that weren't very favorable. But I went into it excited and enthusiastic anyway. And I must say, I was impressed. The way they connected and linked things together was almost similar to the way that Gregory Maguire did in his Wicked series. SPOILERS: My favorite scene would have to be when Theodora bit the green apple that killed her heart ache and turned her into the Wicked Witch of the West. It was so powerful, and kind of creepy at the same time. SPOILERS END. Despite that, I wished the film would have explored other traditional aspects of the series, but I guess that's why there may be a sequel?
The film was a great way to explore the Land of Oz prior to Dorothy's Arrival, and it kept me going all the way through. And the score... hats off to Danny Elfman again for his amazing talent in capturing a scene through music. Oz the Great and Powerful is a GREAT family film and is a nice addition to those die-hards who are Wizard of Oz fanatics (by the way, pun was intended).
That being said, Oz the Great and Powerful gets: ★★★★★ 5 out of 5 Stars
"I don't wanna be a good man, I wanna be a great one!"
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