It has been 74 years since Judy Garland first donned the ruby slippers and repeated that iconic phrase “there is no place like home,” that defined an era in cinema.
A question I asked myself before “Oz the Great and Powerful” started was how a renewal of the story in the form of a prequel could live up to the majesty of one of the most iconic films of all time? Just ask director Sam Raimi.
“Oz: The Great and Powerful” is a prequel to the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz,” and the story is based on the works of author L. Frank Baum.Starring many of Hollywood’s biggest stars, “Oz: The Great and Powerful” was a good film with an all-star cast.
Oscar nominee James Franco, who has starred in films like “127 Hours” and “Pineapple Express” led the cast in the role of Oz. In the film, Oz is a travelling circus magician who is down on his luck and resorts to conning guests to make a living.
But when a tornado strikes the circus while in Kansas, very similar to the beginning of the original film, he is transported to a different world.
Other stars who appear in the film are Oscar nominee Michelle Williams in the role of Annie/Glinda, Oscar winner Rachel Weisz in the role of Evanora and Mila Kunis who plays Theodora.
Overall, the film was well done. The imagery in the film was spectacular and helps you feel like a part of this fantastic world.
The comedic relief was fantastic on the part of Zach Braff who played the role of the monkey Finley. His performance was one of the highlights of the film.
On the other hand, there was one major issue I had with this film. What was surprising to me was Mila Kunis. I usually like her performances but she was terrible in this role. I am not sure what the issue was, but I was shocked by how bad she was in this film.
Overall “Oz: The Great and Powerful” was a good film and I definitely recommend seeing it in theaters for the amazing visuals. Also, I am not surprised that this film was first in the box office in its opening weekend bringing in $80 million, according to Boxofficemojo.com.
I give this film 3.75 stars out of 5.
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