Sam Raimi (
The Evil Dead, Spiderman Trilogy) makes a return to
screens taking us back into the magical realm of Oz where a small time
magician named Oscar Diggs (James Franco) plays a reluctant role in
swaying a raging battle between good and evil. Inspired by L. Frank
Baum’s 1900 novel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this serves as a
visually striking prequel to the events in Victor Fleming’s 1939 film,
with Raimi successfully evoking giddy nostalgia while incorporating a
winning collaboration of cutting edge CGI/3D technology while honouring
ancient cinematic inventions and formats. It is not only colourful and
inventive, but features some well-drawn characters and powerful
performances and provides enough laughs to entertain the whole family.
Oz: The Great and Powerful opens in Kansas in stunning black
and white imagery within the 4:3 ratio utilised during old Hollywood. We
are introduced to Oscar as he prepares backstage for his magic show. He
bullies his loyal technical assistant, Frank (Zach Braff), and flirts
with a new female colleague. When his illusions impress the awe-struck
crowd, a young girl requests he use his powers to cure her inability to
walk. When he refuses, his goodwill is angrily challenged, leading to a
hasty hot air balloon escape. Taken up in a destructive storm and
tornado, he finds himself emerging into a fantasy realm – cue colour and
format change to widescreen – later revealed to be Oz.
It is here that he learns about the Wizard prophecy and his foretold
and expected arrival. Led along the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City by
good witch Theadora (Mila Kunis), in the company of Finley (voiced by
Braff), a flying monkey he rescues along the way, Oz is offered immense
fame and riches by her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) if he destroys the
wand of a banished wicked witch. When he meets Glinda (Michelle
Williams) he learns that he has been the subject of manipulation and has
to team up with the people of Oz and use every trick up his sleeve to
stop the reign of evil.
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