Oz the Great and Powerful review

Oz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi.

Based on L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels, Oz the Great and Powerful serves as prequel to Baum’s 1900 introductory novel The Wizard of Oz and 1939 film. Set 20 years before the events of both sources (book and film), Oscar Diggs arrives in the Land of Oz in the year 1905 where he discovers the three witches namely Theodora, Evanora and Glinda. Oscar is then inclined to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.

The Land of Oz is an imaginative mix of live-action and CGI that pays homage to the iconic images and timeless sense of wonder in the classicThe Wizard of Oz. There may be missing links between The Wizard of Ozand Oz the Great and Powerful. For example, don't expect to hear any of the beloved musical cues. Also missing is the Wicked Witch of the West's mole.

Oz the Great and Powerful functions as something of an "origin story" for certain characters, detailing how both of the Wicked Witches (East and West) got their starts and how the Wizard attained his exalted position. Although there's no Dorothy and her color coordinated wardrobe or Toto, the Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow make cameos.

Oz the Great and Powerful doesn't offer much in the way of suspense or surprises. It is, after all, working toward a known conclusion: getting all the pieces in place for Dorothy's arrival. Still, it's a well-crafted story told with plenty of imagination and energy, and more than a little heart. The movie runs a little over two hours but doesn't wear out its welcome and there's some ingenuity in how the climax unfolds. It can't fully overcome the flaw of having the two villains escape but there's no way around that. As they skulk away toward the end of Oz the Great and Powerful, we know that a greater adventure awaits.

The film stars James Franco as Oscar Diggs, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachel Weisz as Evanora, and Michelle Williams as Glinda