Oz, el poderoso

if You didn't Know that this Movie was Directed by Sam Raimi, You wouldn't Know that it was Directed by Sam Raimi. All of the Style is in the CGI. It has a Certain Eye Candy Appeal that also Lacks Warmth, Depth, and Anything Resembling a Soul.

But here it is. A Mega-Million Dollar Spewing of the Plasticized, Industrial Art that has become the Standard for This Type of Thing. The Other Worldliness of the Superhero and other Fantasies. It can Work Very Well in Limited Quantities but when that's All there is, that's All there is.

James Franco is a Movie Star (and some may question why) and Not an Actor, so He can by No Stretch of the Imagination Pull off the Charm Needed for the Wizard. He Grins and Smirks and All the Women On Screen, and in the Audience, are Supposed to be Charmed Out of Their Pants. Right.

The Prequel has its Moments of Appeal, but Hardly Awe Inspiring. The Witches are Interchangeable Bores. The Flying Monkey is OK and the China Doll is the Most Memorable. There are a lot of Explosions and Fireballs to Pump the Sub-Woofers and Danny Elfman's Recognizable Style is Noticeable from the First Few Notes (did someone say repetition).

Overall, the Movie can be Recommended in a Gaudy kind of Display with Enough Color to Capture the Eye, but the Movie is Not that Captivating. It is such a Mediocre Movie that Slightly Betrays the Source Material and is Another Expensive Extravaganza that is by Most Accounts Disappointing and Adequate at Best. That's not much for Disney and the Pile of Gold it put out for this Thing.

Sometimes you hear about how bad a movie is, how the critics hated it, how it failed at the box office, etc. etc. etc. And then you find it in the bargain bin and you decide to see how bad it really is. This was the case with a number of movies (like COWBOYS V ALIENS and that one about the civil war guy sent to Mars) and in some cases (like the two mentioned) they turn out not as bad as people make out. This is the same as OZ THE GREAT AND THE POWERFUL. I watched it with my daughter and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. There was just enough humour, action and a little bit of scary o keep you entertained for the however long it took to watch it. It just goes to prove that you never judge a whatever by its thingy. Now the reverse can also be true (as in the case of AVATAR) as a movie everyone loved can be a piece of crap. So if you are wondering what you are in for if you decide to watch it, I think you are in for a good action adventure. It is not THE WIZARD OF OZ but rather a cross between THE HOBBIT and a Jim Carey movie…..errr…..I think. There are a few scary bits but nothing that would frighten kid over 8. So overall not as bad as it was made out to be and, yep, I would be up for a sequel.

Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how the great wizard Oz from the Wizard of Oz came to be. It follows the young Oz (James Franco) as he is swept away to an enchanted land ending up in the middle of a power struggle between three witches. The young Oz is a trickster who deceives those he wants and/or needs for his own ends. This attitude has consequences and those consequences are what drives the story forward.

James Franco plays the young Oz brilliantly. The character is a shallow small time magician and the story shows how he comes full circle to be the Great and Powerful Oz from the Wizard of Oz. Unfortunately, his change happens after taking a grievous toll. The three witches who Oz comes to affect are Theodora (Mila Kunis), Rachel Weisz (Evanora), and Glinda (Michelle Williams). The three play their parts and give great performances to add to their resumes.

For those who watched and loved the Wizard of Oz in their childhood, this movie is the perfect prequel. Watching it as an adult was a treat. The writers did well to adapt the script to make it a worthy prequel. In addition, the movie does well to entertain both children and adults. It slots in perfectly as the precursor to the Wizard of Oz.

The film didn't have the best reception but I encourage you to ignore this. The directing is probably the weakest link in this movie, but the story and actors more than makeup for this. The character development is amazing and shows exactly why things were they way they are in the Wizard of Oz. Simply stated Oz the Great and Powerful is truly a prefect prequel.

In 1905, in Kansas, the small-time circus magician Oscar "Oz" Diggs (James Franco) is a weak, greedy, selfish and womanizer conman without character. He gives music box to the women that he seduces, and when a strong artist finds that his wife has a box in her belongings, he chases Oz through the circus. Oz flees in a balloon, but a tornado strikes his balloon and he lands on the Land of Oz.

Oscar meets the gorgeous Theodora (Mila Kunis) and she believes that he is the powerful magician from an ancient prophecy that will release her land from the Wicked Witch. Theodora tells that her sister and she are good witches, but the Wicked Witch had killed the king. Now the people are waiting for the magician to be their new king after defeating the witch. Theodora is seduced by Oz and brings him to the City of Emerald. When he sees the king's treasure, he decides to seek out the Wicked Witch and destroy her magic wand to get rid off her and become the king. Oz meets Glinda (Michelle Williams), who is supposed to be the Wicked witch, and soon he learns that Theodora's sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) is the evil one indeed.

Meanwhile Evanora lures he sister that is jealous and uses a spell to turn her into a wicked witch. Oscar learns that he is the only hope for the inhabitants of Oz that believe that he is a powerful magician and his only chance to defeat Evanora and Theodora is using illusion since he has no magic power.

"Oz the Great and Powerful" is an entertaining fantasy movie, with beautiful special effects and great cast. The beginning in black and white turns to bright colors when Oz reaches the magic kingdom and the images are wonderful. It takes too long for the unethical lead character to redeem and become a good man. For viewers that enjoy fantasy movies, "Oz the Great and Powerful" is a highly recommended movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Oz: Mágico e Poderoso" ("Oz: Magic and Powerful")

Oz the Great and Powerful is, although admittedly very imperfect, a grand, colourful and often immersive adventure.

As usual, Sam Raimi's energy shines in the action and horror, with the Dutch tilts and sudden zoom ins bringing a sense of camp and unease into the tension. The flying monkeys brought back the trauma from the original in such an overkill fashion where their terror is mostly concealed and portrayed in silhouette until around the halfway mark. James Franco as Oz was a surprisingly good fit, with him able to pull off portraying a sympathetic con-man. Although portrayed mostly through CGI, the land of Oz looks dazzling most of the time, and then there are a few times where it looks distractingly too glamorous and over-polished. Make-up and costumes are mostly on point, harkening back to the aesthetic of the original with more modern capabilities, although the same could be said with a lot of other aspects of the film.

Although the CGI is used to great effect in many ways throughout the movie, it eventually ends up feeling a bit overused, especially in the final battle between two of the witches. The story revolving around how certain characters from the original film behaved before the events of that film ranged from feeling plausible to almost downright silly. Oz as the con-man was a good connection to the deceptive yet humble wizard in the original, yet the portrayal of the wicked Witch of the West as a heartbroken, temper-tamtrum-a-minute villain with an obsessive relationship to the wizard just doesn't feel like it matches up with the purely maniacal and unhinged character from the original. Each of the romantic aspects of the movie come off as weird fan-fiction where I feel like it just doesn't work. Sometimes a few of the actors looked like their heart wasn't really in it either.

Overall, though not particularly an amazing prequel, it's a technically impressive one with a good cast, decent story and great direction.