Magic and Monkeys: An “Oz the Great and Powerful” Review
I remember watching The Wizard of
Oz when I was a kid, and being fascinated by the whole story especially by the
quirky main characters. It was very funny to think of the idea of a Tin Man
wanting a heart, a Scarecrow needing some brains (he may be happy that he
doesn’t have one when we have the zombie apocalypse), and a Cowardly Lion wishing to be
courageous.
When I heard about Oz the Great
and Powerful, I thought this was going to be a remake of the 1939 film that we
knew, and this got me a bit worried as I remembered the disaster that was the
remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When I learned though that this
was going to be a prequel, it sounded like a great idea all of a sudden.
Looks like Emerald City got an upgrade |
To avoid confusion in this
review, let us call our “wizard” by his real name which is Oscar, and we will
refer to the magical land of Oz as, well…”Oz”. And oh, just in case you wanted
to know, according to the movie the Wizard of Oz’ full name is the mouthful “Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel
Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs”. Having the initials “O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.AD.”, you
would know why he shortened it to just “Oz” instead.
I was freaking out deep inside
when the movie started and I kept bugging my movie buddy asking him, “Why is
the film in black and white?!” and “Why is the aspect ratio not for
widescreen?!” I was thinking that the cinema was having some technical problems
and I was ready to demand for a refund for ruining my movie night. Seriously,
the film was in black and white for so long that it can actually make you worry
that it’s going to be that way for the rest of the movie. And the aspect
ratio…why the heck would you want a 4:3 aspect ratio in the cinema?!
Naturally, the film eventually
went into full color and to a 16:9 widescreen. Only the first part of the movie
is in black and white, when we are shown Oscar’s past as a magician in a
traveling circus. Everything went into full color as our magician steps onto
the magical Land of Oz. I’m not sure if this was part of the plan but that
particular scene was stunningly beautiful and colourfully vivid because you’ve
already somehow gotten used to the black and white and sepia of the first part
of the movie. It was magical and colourful and it reminded me of Alice in
Wonderland. I can imagine this to be even more stunning in 3D.
The CGI of Oz was good on its
own, but add our live actors to the scene and it becomes ruined. There were
more than a few parts where the characters looked superimposed on the
background, and it’s a shame because it breaks the illusion of actually being
in the magical land. It’s not hard to imagine them acting in front of the green screen the whole
time. At some point, you might feel you’re watching Shrek instead of a live
action movie. Well, at least it was so much better than that of Jack the Giant Slayer (check out my review here).
I’m not sure if I’m happy about
James Franco playing the role of our wizard. He does play well the part about
Oscar being a charming lady-killer I mean c’mon, that huge smile has got to be
good for something, right? In doing the magician part though, I don’t think so.
Was he entertaining as a theatrical showman? Not very much. Was he intimidating
as a powerful wizard? Not so much either.
You’d probably agree with me more when I tell you that Johnny Depp and
Robert Downey, Jr. has also been considered for the role.
Story-wise, I loved the film. The
movie was supposed to tell us how Oscar ended up as the feared wizard of Oz and
it did just that, with added spectacle and humour. To be fair with the movie it’s
actually funny, with much of the comic relief offered by Oscar’s loyal
assistant, Finley the Flying Monkey voiced by Zach Braff (who was also Oscar’s
circus assistant), and the very sensitive (and fragile) China Girl voiced by
Joey King. The twist wasn’t unexpected (c’mon it’s not really hard to guess
that Rachelle Weisz is really an evil witch) but it still manages to
give you a surprise. It’s nice that our characters weren’t one dimensional,
especially our Wicked Witches of the East (Rachel Weisz) and West (Mila Kunis).
I should also mention the fact that the movie stays consistent to the original
Wizard of Oz film, something that I was very thankful for. And who would forget
the loveable Farmers, Munchkins, and Tinkers?
The Wicked Bit...I mean Witches |
Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East |
Theodora, the (not so wicked yet) Witch of the West |
Glinda the Good Witch. Sorry, no North or South for you. |
The movie wasn’t running on a
linear plot, and you get surprised every now then, just like in a magic show. It
was entertaining and I can actually say that I had fun as I went out of the
cinema. It’s easy to say that Oscar’s story is equally as interesting as that
of Dorothy’s.
I’ve learned that Disney has
already approved plans for a possible sequel based directly on The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz film. Here we go again with our crossed fingers.
Wait, you seriously didn't expect the black and white at the beginning? lol, I'm pretty sure every single trailer has started off showing that part of the movie. :P I personally thought that was a nice little effect myself. I agree about the CGI, though. The movie never felt alive and vibrant to me. It never felt real, and I think that was to the detriment of the film. Nice review, man. :)
ReplyDelete@Chris Widdop Lol Chris, I wasn't worried about it at first. But as it went on for long I started freaking out. I agree though, it turned out to be a nice effect when you look at the movie as a whole.
ReplyDeleteYey! Buti nareview mo. I'm going to watch it later. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteGaling mo Geop!!!
ReplyDeletemy husband saw this the other in the Mall we're planning to watch this anytime this week gives me more ideas and how to explain the story to my daughter too! thanks! xx
ReplyDeletei have always loved wizard of oz. i starred in one of the plays (wizard of oz, that is) that trumpets did a few summers back and i just love the whole story! even the earlier versions of this one.
ReplyDelete@Lhyzie No prob Lhyzie! If you want me to review a certian movie before you watch it, juz let me know ^^
ReplyDelete@Starfish Ninja haha! Thank you Isah! Mag subscribe ka! :P
ReplyDelete@MaryJane Tauyan Glad you liked it Mary Jane! I'm pretty sure though that you're kid would enjoy this one even on her own :)
ReplyDelete@april and the city Good for you April! I have also wanted to be a part of a Wizard of Oz play :P
ReplyDeleteWas able to watch this yesterday and I agree, the monkey was such a cute character!
ReplyDeleteActually, I wasn't able to watch the trailer beforehand so I was afraid that it would be another "freaky" movie version of a well-loved children's novel...well, I'm so glad that it's not! It's a feel-good movie and recommended for both kids and kids-at-heart. :)
@Anonymous Yeah, I feel you. With all the remakes on fairy tale movies these days with twists, sometimes you're no longer sure what you're gonna get :)
ReplyDelete