I’m more than a little late to the game here, but I finally caught Sam Raimi’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL today in glorious 2D. I’m generally a fan of Sam Raimi’s work and would count myself as a nominal fan of THE WIZARD OF OZ. I haven’t read the books and don’t own the blu-ray of the original film (yet.) But I think it is wonderful even if I haven’t visited it in many years. And while I thought the trailer for OZ looked surprisingly strong, I’m not sure I would have prioritized seeing this in a theater if it weren’t for my wife’s strong interest. Either way, who doesn’t acknowledge the greatness of that original film? Or its impact on fantasy cinema on everything that came after it.
And so it is somewhat fascinating that a major, big-budget, live action OZ film hasn’t happened since the super-creepy RETURN TO OZ (1985). I know there have been countless works that reference OZ and even a few high concept TV adaptations if I recall correctly. But Disney’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is a major, big budget tent pole of a film and I am excited that it has been a hit at the box office and may very well mark the return to prominence of one of cinema’s greatest fantasy lands.
I was skeptical about the prequel-style take that Raimi’s film seemed to be going for. And the project sounded a lot stronger when Robert Downey, Jr. was signed on to star as opposed to James Franco. But again, that first trailer kind of sold me on the film and I decided to avoid any other news about the project after that. Going into the film, my biggest concern was that Franco’s Oz was going to be introduced to us as a charismatic con man, and I knew he had to end up as a charismatic con man as well. How can you tell a prequel story about a character who doesn’t change over the course of the story? Well, in the end, the film does set up Franco as the “man behind the curtain” that we all know and love from the original film. But I found myself intrigued and engaged by his surprisingly complex journey through the film.
SPOILERS AHOY!
Yes, Franco begins and ends as a flim-flam artist. But his moments of honesty, and his quest to become a great man end up building a pretty cool narrative to hang an OZ story on. I liked that Franco’s Oz looks up to men like Thomas Edison as examples of real world magicians, and ends up finding inspiration to fulfill his destiny as the Wizard Of Oz through the use of science and ingenuity. And I like that Good Witch Glenda (Michelle Williams) sees through Oz’s thinly veiled façade but places her trust and belief in the goodness of his heart regardless. Williams is pretty captivating here, although she isn’t asked to do all too much. Oz’s journey culminates in a final act that is a fresh and fun fantasy battle that was kid-friendly and clever. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
If Franco’s Oz manages to grow in depth of character while remaining largely the same, Mila Kunis’ Theodora undergoes the largest amount of change over the course of the film. The first person Oz meets upon his crash-landing in Oz is Theodora. He learns of a prophecy (Aren’t there too many prophecies in movies these days? Need a mythology, just write in a prophecy!) that a great wizard will become the King of Oz and command great power and wealth. Our loveable rogue makes promises and claims identities that end up WRECKING the poor, innocent Theodora when he can’t make good on them. Meanwhile Evanora (Rachel Weisz), Theodora’s sister, is revealed to be an evil witch herself. The spurned Theodora succumbs to her evil sisters’ temptations and allows her evil side to take over, transforming into the green-skinned Wicked Witch we all know and fear. And here lies the film’s greatest problem. Which is a significant one. Theodora’s descent into malevolence feels forced and stunted and ill-conceived. And, sadly, as much as I like Mila Kunis, she looks awkward and sounds warbly once the full costume and updated Wicked Witch character are seen and heard.
There is also a problem similar to the one THE HOBBIT faced, which is that the story it builds up to is far and above the BETTER story than the prequel can hope to be. As much as I did enjoy OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL, it simply pales in comparison to the perfect-for-all-ages narrative of Dorothy Gale. But what it DID do successfully is “re-excite” me for the original film and the world as a whole. Raimi’s OZ has me excited about those stories again, and interested to delve in. Maybe I’ll go back and read some of author L. Frank Baum’s original tales. Or maybe I’ll finally pick up that WIZARD OF OZ Blu-ray I’ve heard so much about. Either way, I think writers Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire, and Mitchell Kapner were unable to spin a tale that matched the greatness of the original film. But I can’t really even imagine that was the goal. So if the goal was to create an enjoyable, engaging, and old-fashioned feeling fantasy film, I think OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is a success. And if it re-invigorates the franchise and gets a whole new generation of fans interested in OZ, then studios get to make their money and young fantasty-lovers the world over get a golden ticket into an enormous and highly influential world of wonder.
Aside from all the narrative/adaptation stuff, there are some pretty cool GCI creatures and characters that feel like neat creations. Although again, the sidekicks here are no Cowardly Lion or Scarecrow or Tin Man. The Little China Girl is kind of incredible-looking. Her fragility and innocence offer a bit of a conscience to Franco’s Oz. And I found her to be the most touching element to the story. Then you have Zach Braff’s Finley, the winged-monkey dressed as a bell hop. Braff does great voice work here and provides some of the film’s best laughs as well as a bonified sidekick for Oz.
And of course, Raimi brings his signature style to the proceedings. The 4:3 aspect ratio at the start of the film, the “shadowed” Disney logo at the beginning that paid homage to the sound stages of the first film, and the merciless beating of Bruce Campbell all felt like Raimi touches.
In the end, I really enjoyed Franco’s journey as Oz, didn’t buy Kunis’ transformation in the Wicked Witch, and generally found most other elements to click without totally wowing me. I’d be happy if this film opens a gateway into OZ stories that go beyond Dorothy and employ the stories of L. Frank Baum’s original world. I’m also happy that the film has been a money-maker and puts Sam Raimi back “on top” as it were. Here’s to hoping Raimi continues to get A-list projects and bring his frenetic energy to dozens more projects in the coming years and decades.
And I’m Out.