There's No Place Like "Oz," Even 75 Years Later

Oz (James Franco) finds himself in a magical world needing saved from the Wicked Witch.

No offense to Sam Raimi, but he's probably not one of the first directors that comes to mind who would attempt to reimagine the enchanting world of L. Frank Baum's Oz. Given his directorial track record of the Spider-Man trilogy, Army of Darkness and The Evil Dead, a land of munchkins, witches and wizards seems all too foreign for someone who made his mark producing cult-classic splatter-fests.

Oz the Great and Powerful reopens the doors to the whimsical parallel world made famous by Baum's series of novels and Victor Fleming's 1939 classic starring Judy Garland. But this trip misses a few of the key ingredients. No Dorothy. No Scarecrow. No Tin Man. No Cowardly Lion. In fact, the Wizard of Oz comes in the form of James Franco as a small-time magician from Kansas, continuously looking for opportunities to cheat and swindle the simple-minded.

Working as a prequel to the 1939 classic, Raimi unravels the back story behind classic characters such as Oz, Glinda and the Wicked Witches in order to bridge the two films. Oz substitutes Dorothy as the protagonist, swept away by a tornado to the land of Oz. Instead of a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and Cowardly Lion as sidekicks, Oz is assisted in his travels by a flying monkey (Zach Braff), a delicate china doll (Joey King) and Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams).

Oz is nowhere near the classic that the Judy Garland film is, nor does it have to be. All Oz is expected to do is offer up a modern-day iteration that hearkens back to the days when going to the movies was a lighthearted diversion. Raimi accomplishes that with ease, thanks to the laundry list of references and a story that works wonders.

Once Raimi throws in a derivative prophecy and matches The Wizard of Oz move for move in its storytelling, it's clear that there's enough of a spark to engage the interest of audience who have witnessed this type of archetypal tale time and time again.

But as much as Oz is an homage to the original film, Raimi does put his own spin on the timeless world. The lands of Oz are more expansive this time around due to advances in film technology and that itself is a double-edged sword. Many times, Oz emerges in a tangible form, particularly when scenes are shot on actual sets. But at the same time, much of the green screen work lacks depth and reality, disrupting the illusion that the world of Oz goes beyond the sterile sets. The overuse and lack of integrating green screen with actual sets is reminiscent of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland from 2010.

That ultimately leaves the CG effects as hit-or-miss, but the real home run is breathing life into Oz's china doll companion, who steals every scene she's in and melts hearts left and right. With that being said, Joey King certainly gives the finest performance in Oz the Great and Powerful even outshining her adult co-stars.

James Franco works as the titular Oz and it'll be interesting to see if he's able to carry Disney's brand new cash cow. Painted with shades of gray characterizations, Franco's Oz is entertaining to watch, either sharply pulling towards love or hate depending on his complicated nature. 

Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis play Emerald City's regent sisters, Evanora and Theodora, and the two certainly ham it up for Oz's lengthy 130 minute run-time. Despite some clunky chemistry, their presence onscreen is nothing more than passable with Weisz being the better of the two. Rounding out of the cast, Michelle Williams has very little to do as gaudy jeweled Glinda, whose talents are better suited for more adult films.

What keeps Oz the Great and Powerful from what its title actually suggests is its bloated run time, which even from the first scenes in Kansas foreshadows Raimi taking his good old time to tell such a simplistic story. Oz has no need to cross into overindulgent Peter Jackson territory. Here, just getting straight to the point is precisely what this film needs to go from good to great.

Oz the Great and Powerful is the most heartwarming surprise of the year that even with a few cracks in the Yellow Brick Road has finally given Disney their first tentpole franchise since Pirates.     

GRADE: B (8/10)