This is the imagined prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz'. It's 1905 Kansas. Oscar (James Franco) is a carnival magician. After barely escaping from the strong man in a hot air balloon, he gets swept up in a tornado and lands in the Land of Oz. There he follows the witch Theodora (Mila Kunis) into the Emerald City to see her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz). They tell him that he is the prophetized Wizard who is destined to rid Oz of the evil witch Glinda (Michelle Williams).
It's an interesting take on the world of Oz. It tries to weave a viable prequel to the iconic movie. For the most part, the story achieves a workable world where the wizard, the witches, and the characters are all so familiar. But there are problems. The biggest problem is the problem of comparison. This is always the danger. The original is the Hollywood gold standard. It is legendary. It is magical. Any new movie could never truly measure up and this doesn't. It doesn't have the magic nor any songs. It's trying build a movie without the heart of the classic but this must be considered on its own terms.
The technicals look good. Director Sam Raimi has the skills. For so much CGI, the movie could easily look fake. It's obviously CG but it looks good. I especially love the character of China Girl. She's especially cute and funny. The acting is not so great. James Franco plays the morally questionable wizard well. The ladies don't do as well. Michelle Williams is all one note as Glinda the Good Witch. She tries to inhabit the iconic role so much that there is no nuance. The only good point in her performance is actually when Glinda tells Oscar that she knows he's not what she expected. Rachel Weisz does a passable job. Mila Kunis couldn't make the transition. She's OK as a sweet naive girl, but her evil persona just doesn't have the juice. Overall, it is a good movie as long as you don't try to compare to the original.
It's an interesting take on the world of Oz. It tries to weave a viable prequel to the iconic movie. For the most part, the story achieves a workable world where the wizard, the witches, and the characters are all so familiar. But there are problems. The biggest problem is the problem of comparison. This is always the danger. The original is the Hollywood gold standard. It is legendary. It is magical. Any new movie could never truly measure up and this doesn't. It doesn't have the magic nor any songs. It's trying build a movie without the heart of the classic but this must be considered on its own terms.
The technicals look good. Director Sam Raimi has the skills. For so much CGI, the movie could easily look fake. It's obviously CG but it looks good. I especially love the character of China Girl. She's especially cute and funny. The acting is not so great. James Franco plays the morally questionable wizard well. The ladies don't do as well. Michelle Williams is all one note as Glinda the Good Witch. She tries to inhabit the iconic role so much that there is no nuance. The only good point in her performance is actually when Glinda tells Oscar that she knows he's not what she expected. Rachel Weisz does a passable job. Mila Kunis couldn't make the transition. She's OK as a sweet naive girl, but her evil persona just doesn't have the juice. Overall, it is a good movie as long as you don't try to compare to the original.