Alan Doesn't Think 'Oz' is as Great & Powerful as it Claims

Starring

• James Franco
• Mila Kunis
• Rachel Weisz
• Michelle Williams
• Zach Braff

Original Theatrical Release Date: 03/08/2013

Running Time: 127 mins

Synopsis: Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced. --From Rotten Tomatoes

Review: 

Let me first start by saying that I was really looking forward to this movie. Sam Raimi is one of my very favorite directors with films like 'The Evil Dead' franchise and the amazing 'Spider-Man' trilogy (not to be confused with the newer, yet uninspired, 'Amazing Spider-Man' franchise) under his belt. And I was on board even more when I saw who had been cast. With the exception of Rachel Weisz (who I don't DISLIKE per se, just do not know her from many films I've seen) I was excited at the choices that had been made. 

Well, needless to say this movie was everything and more of what I was not at ALL expecting from it. First and foremost, let's start with the protagonist, Oz. From the very get-go, he is not a likable, respectable character. He's a womanizer, a user, and just flat out arrogant. And honestly, he doesn't really change much of that during the course of the movie. 

The plot was very long and drawn out. And once it all came together at the end, it seemed like I had just heard a story that wasn't really worth the time of telling or hearing. You're not really rooting for either side because one side is headed by a guy who has this odd sense of entitlement, and the other side is headed by two evil witches, one of which had just recently converted to the proverbial Dark Side. 

The special effects were none too impressive either. Remember the monkey like henchman in the original 'Wizard of Oz'? They're still here, in CGI form of course, and they look pretty stupid. And I swear it seemed like every time we went to another area, there were more CGI blossoming flowers. One of the highlights of the movie was some of the cinematography, which was also one of the lowlights. Some times it looked amazing, and others it looked like it came straight from a video game. 

I will say, the last 15 minutes of the movie or so were by far the most entertaining, and they were actually legitimately good scenes. Was it worth sitting through the other hour and 45 minutes? Not at all. This new 'Oz' set out to show us the magical land before Dorothy ever encountered it. It actually ended up stealing some of that magic away. 

Score: