Oz: The Great and Powerful Review
I'm not usually a fan of these kinds of films, and 2011's Alice in Wonderland remake left me disappointed, so I went into this film with no real expectations of it being anything but a glossy popcorn flick, and to a certain extent I was right.
The film's plot is loosely based on 1939's The Wizard of Oz, one of my personal favourites, and is designed to be a prequel to that film. As with the sequel Return to Oz, I found that the film didn't really manage to meet my expectations of what a prequel to the original should have been, it did however at least try to link it together. The plot revolves around a con man/magician called Oz, who gets swept up in a tornado and ends up in Oz, where he is part of a prophecy to bring peace to the land. Its all a very standard affair, and while the film neatly links in with the original, I still found the plot to be mediocre at best, and lacking in any originality.
The film is undeniably pretty, some of the sights and backdrops in Oz are beautiful, and the 3D provides a sense of depth not unlike Avatar. The 3D effects in the film were impressive compared to the recent Hobbit film and it utilised the slightly gimmicky, but impressive all the same, "pop out" style effects, which were best used during the beginning of the film. The film starts out in black and white and in a 4:3 ratio, which I actually preferred to the wide screen colour of Oz, it was refreshing to see the classical Hollywood look, even if it was for a brief amount of time.
The performances in the film were hit and miss, James Franco's cheesy grin got on my nerves by the end of the film, and his performance wasn't up to scratch when compared to something like 127 Hours. Mila Kunis also seemed slightly out of her comfort zone, and she sounded fake and awkward in this kind of role, and she is much better suited to roles such as her Black Swan performance. On the other hand Michelle Williams played a solid part, and while she seemed to be going for the Marilyn Monroe style breathy, doe eyed look, it did work in the context of the film and provided a break from Franco's annoying and cheesy role. Rachel Weisz also played a good part, appearing suitably evil and menacing, and (thank god) doesn't try to put on an American accent to fit in with the others.
I went to see the film in the D-Box, which is the new motion seat technology being implemented in cinemas. For the first half of the film I found it to really add to the atmosphere, and coupled with the 3D provided an tremendous sense of immersion, especially during the hot air balloon scene at the beginning. By the middle portion of the film however it seemed as though the seat was just repeating the same effects, jolting when someone casts a spell or vibrating continuously through the tornado scene, and I found myself just wanting to watch the film without being jolted around. The seat will work for some films better than others, and while It was used effectively to some degree, I found it tedious by the end.
This film then, is a film designed to engage you in it's plot and excite you, and do nothing else, and while I don't have a problem with that, its not really my cup of tea. However I'm going to score it based on how good it is compared to other Hollywood Blockbuster type films, rather than base the score on how good a film it is altogether. If you're looking for a popcorn film that will provide some light entertainment for 2 hours, or you have kids, I would recommend Oz. For anyone else who is looking for a thinky film, don't bother with this one.
6/10
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