OK, first off – I’ll say that I didn’t hate this movie. However.. I do take issue with a few things.
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well. When small-time magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) pulls one flimflam too many, he finds himself hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz where he must somehow transform himself into the great wizard-and just maybe into a better man as well. — (C) Walt Disney
OK, that’s the official summary from Disney and Rotten Tomatoes. Here’s my opinion
- I don’t think Mila Kunis did a good job – she’s just not villain material. She was far too pretty to be taken seriously as the Wicked Witch of the West – the outfit she wore, honestly, made her head look HUGE. Personality wise, I think she was OK until her transformation. After becoming the green-skinned and heartless.. she seemed more like a “wicked bitch” than evil. Shrieking her lines and cackling that was almost comical. Don’t get me wrong.. I like Mila, just not in this role.
- Seriously, you went all evil and stuff because of a man you met less than 12 hours earlier? That’s the kind of drama I would expect from a cheap reality tv show, or teen movie, not a prequel to one of the greatest movies of all time. It was a little insulting. Other than that, I had no issue with the story. Make her evil to begin with and only pretending to be all nice, then reveal your evil ways.
- There is a town in Oz, inhabited by animated china dolls, named… China Town. really?
- The Munchkin singing was horrible. Or, perhaps I should say.. not “munchkin-ish”? just sounded like a professional chorus, transposed up 1 key.
All and all, I dont think it was a bad movie, but for the money Disney put into this thing, it could have been better.
Oh, in case you missed it.. Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame) is the head of the Witch’s guard.
