"Somewhere over the rainbow way up high, there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." So begins the song Dorothy sings in The Wizard of Oz. Released in 1939 it was MGM's most expensive production up to that time. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but when I was a kid, I used to dream of Oz. I've wanted to be a denizen of Oz since I was old enough to cognitively think. It's with that in mind I'm going to to take an objective look at the 2013 "prequel" of one of the best movies of all time (It's my opinion, and my show, so nyah) called 'Oz the Great and Powerful'. It tells the story of how Oscar "Oz" Diggs (Played by James Franco), a con-man working as a small-time magician in a traveling circus in Kansas gets caught in a Tornado, and taken away to the land of Oz.
Now, having grown up with The Wizard of Oz, let's get the bad stuff out of the way first, so I can totally dish on the good stuff. My biggest issue with this move is the continuity. References to plot points from the previous film include: Theodora's (Wicked Witch of the West) tears leave burn marks on her face, foreshadowing her weakness to water. A woman named Annie (played by Michelle Williams) informs Oscar that she has been proposed to by a man whose surname is Gale, presumably hinting at Dorothy Gale's parental lineage. Granted, while some of those things make sense (like for instance Theodora's tears leaving burn marks, and even the cowardly lion make you go 'that's why') while others (such as how are you really supposed to know one of those scarecrows turns into the singing dopey one in the later movie) simply don't.
I do like how they kept the Witches the same in the books, with Glinda (also played by Michelle Williams) being the Witch of the South instead of the North, although the main antagonist of the film is Evanora (Played by Rachel Weisz), assumed to become the Wicked Witch of the East, for control over Oz. In the film, unlike the book, the three Witches are sisters, whose father King Pastoria (King of Oz) was murdered by Evanora order to seize the crown and usurp the throne (In the books, the King is the father of Princess Ozma, who makes an appearance in the 1985 film Return to Oz. There is no mention of her whatsoever in this movie, but I digress).
We meet some other interesting characters along the way that are mentioned in the books as well, such as a little China Doll from China Town, but again, unlike in the book, she is able to leave and go with the Wizard to the Emerald City. You also meet a flying monkey named Finley, whom the Wizard saves earlier in the movie, and vows a life debt to him. You also a the Scarecrow, who is built by the townspeople as a scare tactic (Assumed to be the one from the 1939 film), the Master Tinker who builds iron men (One of which is assumed to be the Tin Man); and a Cowardly Lion, who is frightened away by Oscar (Again, assumed to be the Cowardly Lion).
Okay, let's get right down to the plot. As I've mentioned before, Evanora, (who we're assuming is the Witch of the East) is the main antagonist. Her plan is use Theodora's growing crush on the Wizard against her. While gazing into her crystal ball, Evanora tells Theodora that the Wizard was playing all three of them for fools. Evanora then offers the heartbroken Theodora a magic apple she promises will remove her heartache, which Theodora eats, transforming her into a heartless, green-skinned Wicked Witch. With Theodora on her side, her power grew mighty indeed and they sealed themselves within The Emerald City. The Wizard, using his knowledge of prestidigitation builds a machine that enlarges his head and allows his voice to sound scarier (than usual for James Franco) scares the witches out of the Emerald City, and we all live happily ever after... or do we?
Overall what did I think of this movie? The storyline was great. Having watched The Wizard of Oz as a child, I had always wondered how the Wizard had gotten to Oz. He mentions to Dorothy towards the end of the 1939 movie that he too was from Kansas, and we know that he got there in a Hot Air Balloon, but we're absolutely clueless on how it happened that he came to Oz, and this movie gives us just that; The origins of The Wizard of Oz.
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