Just like The Wizard of Oz himself, Sam Raimi's Oz the Great and Powerful promises many things: imagination, wonder, humor, charming characters, romance, and innovation. But, unlike the Wizard, it doesn't deliver. For a movie with such a large budget and Lord knows how many special effects, it's surprisingly dull and flat. And yes, I have considered whether my growing up with the original Wizard of Oz has influenced my opinion about what this new movie should be like, but I believe I've separated myself enough from Victor Fleming's 1939 classic that this isn't the case. Raimi's film just isn't all that captivating, and given the resources and talent involved, you wouldn't think this is possible, but here we are.
Sadly, one of the biggest problems is the casting of James Franco as the title character. Normally I'm not so quick to call out the acting as a movie's handicap, but in this case, Franco makes an exception. It's not that he isn't talented (see 127 Hours); he just isn't right as the Wizard of Oz. Too often during the movie I could “see†him acting (if you know what I mean) and it was especially obvious when he was interacting with digital characters that weren't actually there. Although he's likable and enthusiastic, convincing he is not, and he comes across as rather stiff when he should be loose and lively. It may be a cliché to think so, but an actor like Johnny Depp would have been much more credible and droll in the role.
Franco plays Oscar “Oz†Diggs, a con-artist and fraudulent magician in a traveling circus. Of course, we know he's eventually destined to become the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and his journey begins in 1905, when he's whisked away from the dusty and black & white (at least to us) world of Kansas in a hot air balloon by a cyclone. It transports him to the colorful and magical - and widescreen - world of Oz, which has, among other things, deep hues, fairies, talking monkeys, witches (wicked and good), munchkins, a yellow brick road, and just plain old jolly, hardworking people who like to sing and dance extemporaneously.
When Oz arrives, he's greeted by a witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis), who claims she's not wicked. She informs him of the prophecy that says a wizard will come and save Oz from the real wicked witch and restore order and peace to the land, which has been out of sorts since the previous king was killed. Oz falsely claims to be that wizard, although his intentions are driven mostly by the king's riches, power and his own burgeoning ego.
With the help of Finley (voice of Zach Braff), a talking monkey with wings who dresses in a bellhop uniform and swears a lifetime allegiance to Oz after he saves him from a lion, Oz promises Theodora and her older sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz), that he'll trek out to the Dark Forest and destroy the wand of the wicked witch. Along the way, he rescues a China Porcelain Doll (Joey King), before discovering the wicked witch isn't so wicked after all. Her name is Glinda (Michelle Williams) and she's actually a good witch and daughter of the former king. She's fair, gentle, dresses in white, and has a great deal of hope, even for the faulty Oz. Despite his moral shortcomings, she believes he'll find the good inside himself and restore faith to the people of Oz just as her father did.
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