Rich in History and Grandeur
Oz the Great and Powerful acts as an origin story for Frank
L. Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The wizard named Oz is depicted as
a philandering below-par carnival magician, whose romantic escapades force him
to hop onto a hot air balloon, lest he face the wrath of one of his tryst’s
boyfriends (one of those burly carnival guys). This balloon then gets entangled
in a tornado just like Dorothy’s did years later, and Oz finds himself in a
completely alien location.
From start to finish, no one can deny the sensory delight
that is Oz the Great and Powerful. It commences in black and white taking the
scene to Kansas in 1905 (prior to the tornado that whisks magician/con-man Oz
away), prolonging the arrival of the colorful and prominent Land of Oz, which
the viewer eagerly and impatiently awaits. Sam Raimi’s diligent efforts can’t
be doubted as every iota of this universe is made in rich detail, from the
ripples of water to the texture of the leaves. Indeed, it is overwhelming but rest assured
your eyes will not leave the screen. When the scenery won’t take your breath
away the three witches will.
Another achievement of the movie is to build on a deep
historical background without diminishing or stepping all over the books
written by Frank Baum. Building on the fact that Oscar Diggs isn’t an actual wizard
and revealing how he earns his reputation amongst the Emerald City citizens is
also bound to rouse your curiosity. Amongst other interesting material would be
the treatment of the witches, and discovering how they delve into their
respective paths of evil.
On the downside, the movie doesn’t connect well emotionally.
You fail to sympathize with Oz because he starts off as a sleaze. Even the
witches fail here because they are primarily rigid and straightforward
characters, excluding the climactic turn of personality for one. I guess I’m
being too demanding, as this is for a younger audience and I’m no longer a kid.
Visually as well, at times certain phenomena fail to thrill. It happened with
the flora when I drew similarities with that of Wreck-It-Ralph. Even some of
the witches’ powers fall into this category. Evanora’s green electric shocks
strike a close resemblance to Darth Sidius’ in the Star Wars movies, the only
difference being that it’s green instead of light blue. Instances where the minutiae
become generic diminish the splendor of this dreamlike world.
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| Behold. |
I must say that the film provided its own set of laughs as
well. This is all thanks to Zach Braff’s flying monkey Finley, who serves as Oz’s
right hand and earlier in Kansas as part of his magic troupe (yes, there’s
double acting here). There are plenty of jokes for the younger audiences but its
Braff’s sense of humor that registers well with the grown-ups. In fact, the
master and servant relationship between Franco and Braff is the highlight for
me character-wise, making this a most worthwhile movie for older movie-goers.
Setting aside minor qualms that only discerning viewers will
spot, this is good family fun that should even keep the grown-ups in their
seats. The movie’s animation and its historical development of a much-loved
children’s novel, makes this a must watch.
My rating: 7/10
Blu-ray Special Features
·
The Magic of Oz the Great and Powerful (HD):
Disney's Second Screen experience -- an interactive behind-the-scenes track of
sorts -- offers iPad owners (second generation or newer) the opportunity to
sync a Wi-Fi enabled Blu-ray player with their device and access content and
materials not available on the disc itself.
·
Walt Disney and the Road to Oz (HD,
10 minutes): a feature that illuminates the history between studio Walt Disney
and Frank Baum’s collection of Oz novels.
·
My Journey in Oz, by James Franco (HD,
22 minutes): this is a documentary made by lead actor James Franco himself in
which he conducts interviews and explains the visual effects of the movie.
·
China Girl and the Suspension of Disbelief (HD,
5 minutes): deals with how the
crew brought the porcelain China Girl to life.
·
Before Your Very Eyes: From Kansas to Oz (HD,
11 minutes): The design, development and creation of the lands of Oz
the Great and Powerful.
·
Metamorphosis (HD,
8 minutes): The crew handles the appearance of the wicked witch.
·
Mr. Elfman's Musical Concoctions (HD,
7 minutes): Composer Danny Elfman and the film's score.
·
Bloopers (HD, 5 minutes)
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