Oz the Great and Powerful review: perfectly entertaining

I’m not a fan of 3D movies and prequels are simply an excuse to revisit tired film franchises with new actors.  I have thought both of those things in the past and sometimes they are true.  Factor in that Oz is iconic material, you’re messing with arguable the most beloved movie of all time and any references will ruffle the feathers of people regardless of how well made the movie is.  Rest easy denizens of Oz, the new movie is at its best- truly wonderful and at its worst an OK movie with lots of fabulous effects.

For me I loved it.  It was entertaining, packed with great effects, had laugh out loud moments and featured Bruce Campbell as a palace guard.

James Franco is Oz, a small town magician/con man who is trying to figure out his place in the world.  Oz obviously has many parallels to The Wizard of Oz.  It starts out in black and white; Oz gets transported via a tornado, flying monkeys, yellow bricks and more.

To have so many parallels and possibly routine plot points, Oz the Great and Powerful is original, fresh and stands on its own.  There are knowing winks and nudges about the Wizard of Oz in the movie and that’s part of the fun.

When Oz meets Glinda and the citizens of Oz the munchkins break out into song.  About :45 into it Oz abruptly stops the song in a way that fits the curtness of his character.

Fans of director Sam Raimi will appreciate that Bruce Campbell is a cast as a Gate Keeper and in the way that Evanora (the witch sister, played by Rachel Weisz) flies toward the camera, a la The Evil Dead.

There are also several uses of the films 3D that immediately make you gasp.  Not too long into the film you wonder how the flames managed to jump off the screen.  It’s an impressive visual trick that really sets the stage for the 3D.  In the vast majority of movies 3D is such a gimmick.

Only in The Avengers did it look like it added anything to the film.  The 3D in Oz is really great.  There are a couple needless 3D tricks, but overall, it adds to the depth of the film and really captures its otherworldliness.

The performances are mostly very good.  At points Franco’s Oz seems disjoined and unsure, but I credit that to the character and not a weakness in acting.

What’s also great about this movie is that it’s rated PG.  It’s right in the sweet spot of PG too.   Just like The Wizard of Oz, the scariest thing in the movie is the flying monkeys.  Don’t let them scare you from taking your children to this.  The goodness far outweighs the darkness in this movie.

It doesn’t feel crass or exploitive of the original story.  The landscape is weird and creative without being kooky (very thankful that Tim Burton DID NOT direct this).  While the film is packed and I mean PACKED with CGI there were only a couple moments that didn’t mesh.  You’ll be awestruck by China Girl and how beautiful she is.

Oz the Great and Powerful will still have its detractors.  This is not on the same level as The Wizard of Oz, but times have changed and this movie is still very good on its own merit.   It’s light, witty and breezes through a run time at just over two hours.