3 pipes out of 4
James Franco really needs to make up his mind
whether he wants to be a serious actor or simply the stoner guy. The man has
magnificent talent but when he chooses more sophisticated roles as he does in
Oz the Great and Powerful, he almost seems out of place. You are constantly
waiting for him to light up and make stupid comments. Franco Plays Oz, a
failing circus magician who breaks women’s hearts and is taken in to a tornado,
propelling him to Oz. Zach Braff plays his side kick in both Kansas and Oz
except in Oz he takes the form of a flying monkey. I typically do not like the
movies that Braff tends to lean towards but he is surprisingly good with his
witty humor and self deprecating act. Mila Kunis, who plays Theadora is the
first person to meet Franco upon his arrival to Oz and almost instantly falls
in love with him. Some critics have stated that Kunis is a poor aspect of the
film and I would have to agree, only in that her storyline is far too rushed
giving very little time for development. I thought Kunis did a marvelous job
with what she had but she didn’t have much. Michelle Williams plays Glinda The
Good Witch who tries to convince Oz to fulfill the prophecy laid down by her
father in that a great wizard will come to Oz, defeat the evil witch Rachel
Weis and become King of Oz. Almost all of the signature characters from the old
classic Wizard of Oz are either in the film or referenced but with slight
variations in order to maintain some kind of legal agreement. The Cowardly Lion
and the Scarecrow are explicitly referenced but the tin man is oddly left out.
Except for some minor clichés and a few cases of obvious foreshadowing, Oz, the
Great and Powerful is a wonderful film and does complete justice to the
original it is prequeling.
