Oz the Great and Powerful
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Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.
What critics thought
Sam Raimi's Wizard of Oz prequel divided critics sharply along a single fault line: the visuals are undeniably lavish, but many felt the story underneath them is thin and the casting — particularly James Franco as the Wizard — undermines the sense of wonder the film needs to work. Those who warmed to it found enough wit and Raimi-esque energy to carry the spectacle; skeptics saw digital gloss masking weak characterization and a script that never earns its emotional stakes.
“In a real sense, Oz the Great and Powerful has a certain kinship with George Lucas's Star Wars prequels, in the way it presents a beautiful but borderline-sterile digital update of a world that was richer, purer and a lot more fun in lower-tech form. Here, too, the actors often look artificially superimposed against their CG backdrops, though the intensity of the fakery generates its own visual fascination.”
Justin Chang·Variety
“Oh, it's exciting enough for a six-year-old; anyone older, however, will already have been exposed to so much on TV, at the movies and on the Internet that this will seem like so much visual cotton-candy. Even a sophisticated grade-schooler will find these doings weak and overblown.”
Marshall Fine·The Huffington Post
“lacks the humor, charm, and gee-whiz wonder we're meant to feel as he trades wisecracks with a flying monkey ... and soars above a field of poppies in a giant soap bubble. If he's not enchanted, how are we supposed to be?”
Entertainment Weekly
“Mila Kunis gets a gold star for excellence in bewitchery and Sam Raimi can settle securely behind the curtain as a mature master of illusion.”
Kim Newman·Empire
“basically Army of Darkness: (Normal guy lands in magical land, is forced to go on quest to save that land.) But just when you see Raimi's kinetic, signature style starting to unleash, the story forces the film back into its Disney shell to play to the masses. We're left with a film that's entertaining, a little scarier than you'd expect, but extremely inconsistent.”
/Film
Genres
Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Sam RaimiDirector
James FrancoOz
Mila KunisTheodora / Wicked Witch of the West
Rachel WeiszEvanora
Michelle WilliamsAnnie / Glinda
Zach BraffFrank / Finley
Bill CobbsMaster Tinker
Joey KingGirl in Wheelchair / China Girl
Tony CoxKnuck
Stephen R. HartWinkie General
Abigail SpencerMay
Bruce CampbellWinkie Gate Keeper
Ted RaimiSkeptic in Audience
Danny ElfmanComposer
Mitchell KapnerWriter
L. Frank BaumWriter
David Lindsay-AbaireWriter
Peter DemingCinematographyOz the Great and Powerful
Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus illusionist and con-artist, is whisked from Kansas to the Land of Oz where the inhabitants assume he's the great wizard of prophecy, there to save Oz from the clutches of evil.
What critics thought
Sam Raimi's Wizard of Oz prequel divided critics sharply along a single fault line: the visuals are undeniably lavish, but many felt the story underneath them is thin and the casting — particularly James Franco as the Wizard — undermines the sense of wonder the film needs to work. Those who warmed to it found enough wit and Raimi-esque energy to carry the spectacle; skeptics saw digital gloss masking weak characterization and a script that never earns its emotional stakes.
“In a real sense, Oz the Great and Powerful has a certain kinship with George Lucas's Star Wars prequels, in the way it presents a beautiful but borderline-sterile digital update of a world that was richer, purer and a lot more fun in lower-tech form. Here, too, the actors often look artificially superimposed against their CG backdrops, though the intensity of the fakery generates its own visual fascination.”
Justin Chang·Variety
“Oh, it's exciting enough for a six-year-old; anyone older, however, will already have been exposed to so much on TV, at the movies and on the Internet that this will seem like so much visual cotton-candy. Even a sophisticated grade-schooler will find these doings weak and overblown.”
Marshall Fine·The Huffington Post
“lacks the humor, charm, and gee-whiz wonder we're meant to feel as he trades wisecracks with a flying monkey ... and soars above a field of poppies in a giant soap bubble. If he's not enchanted, how are we supposed to be?”
Entertainment Weekly
“Mila Kunis gets a gold star for excellence in bewitchery and Sam Raimi can settle securely behind the curtain as a mature master of illusion.”
Kim Newman·Empire
“basically Army of Darkness: (Normal guy lands in magical land, is forced to go on quest to save that land.) But just when you see Raimi's kinetic, signature style starting to unleash, the story forces the film back into its Disney shell to play to the masses. We're left with a film that's entertaining, a little scarier than you'd expect, but extremely inconsistent.”
/Film
Genres
Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
Sam RaimiDirectorJames FrancoOzMila KunisTheodora / Wicked Witch of the WestRachel WeiszEvanoraMichelle WilliamsAnnie / GlindaZach BraffFrank / FinleyBill CobbsMaster TinkerJoey KingGirl in Wheelchair / China GirlTony CoxKnuckStephen R. HartWinkie GeneralAbigail SpencerMayBruce CampbellWinkie Gate KeeperTed RaimiSkeptic in AudienceDanny ElfmanComposerMitchell KapnerWriterL. Frank BaumWriterDavid Lindsay-AbaireWriterPeter DemingCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy