Oz the Great and Powerful

After the bloated excess of Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi got his mojo back with the fun Drag Me To Hell. It’s a surprise then that it’s taken him four years to pick up the megaphone again, but now he’s back with Oz the Great and Powerful. Based on L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels and with more than a passing nod to The Wizard of Oz (this is basically a prequel of that film), Raimi’s film follows Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a ropey magician in a travelling circus who is sucked into a tornado and soon finds himself in the Land of Oz. He bumps into witch Theodora (Mila Kunis) who mistakes him for a wizard who has arrived to destroy the King of Oz killing Wicked Witch (Rachel Weisz). Oscar loves the attention until he realises he really will have to face down the evil witch, with his mediocre magic skills as his only weapons. There’s also some love interest with a third witch (Michelle Williams) thrown in for good measure. So let’s talk about this film first in respect of its elder sibling. Despite being constrained by legalities the references come thick and fast, with them ranging from cute and clever to unsubtle and cringe worthy. Though the most obvious homage to MGM’s much loved 1939 production comes at the very beginning with a black and white colour scheme, scratchy sound and hilarious aspect ratio. It’s a nice touch, though it’s a shame that many cinema chains had to give notice to patrons buying tickets that this was what would happen before the film became “normal”. Honestly, people today etc. etc. In addition if you’re a Raimi fan you can also spent time trying to spot the usual array of cameos from his family and friends (though I couldn’t spy the 1973 Oldsmobile this time out). Going back to the look of the film the Land of Oz is nicely realised with a mixture of physical sets and CGI, complemented by a vivid colour scheme (though that, of course, is partially ruined if you’re watching the 3D version of this). Does the film have any more to offer though apart from great visuals? Interestingly screenwriter Mitchel Kapner and a number of the producers have been quoted as saying that one of the main drivers was to release a Disney film that had a strong male protagonist (as opposed to the studios usual slant towards the female side of things). In that case the film would clearly need a strong lead in the top role. In that sense, the choice of Franco looks a bit odd as he’s hardly been Mr Personality in his film career so far. Though he has been seriously bland in the past, here, especially in the film’s opening half, he’s great fun. Sure it’s hamming, but it’s great to see him come alive in a role and clearly actually enjoying himself for once. Perhaps (as he wasn’t first choice for the part) he knew he had a break and determined to give it a real go. Regardless of what you think isn’t it better someone new in such a role as opposed to Johnny Depp churning out the same old performance? This is mainly fun, though there are flaws. The film loses its legs at the halfway point as the wonderment of Oz starts to wear off and all you’re left with is a standard plot that doesn’t have any twists up its sleeve. Plus the chemistry between Franco and Williams is non-existent, not helped by the latter’s dull turn. As a mild warning, though Raimi (predictably) was ordered to tone his final cut down, it still has enough scenes that could cause youngsters some nightmares. This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but in a world that’s dominated by DC and Marvel re-hashing the same old thing, it’s nice to watch something a bit different.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

Franco comes alive for once and this is a visual treat from start to finish. Peer closer between the garish colours though and you won’t find much else. Rating: 7/10.