Welcome to the Two Geeks Go To The Movies! This is a project of two college friends who watch way too many movies and have decided to tell the world. Enjoy the ramblings.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Oz: The Great and Powerful Review
Justin and I saw Oz: The Great and Powerful on March 9, 2013!! This movie was incredible, and my favorite movie of 2013 thus far. The theater was packed. There weren't any empty seats, which was awesome. This movie is a prequel to Oz, based off the books by L. Frank Baum. It follows the arrival of the wizard into Oz, and how the land was shaped when he arrived. James Franco plays a con artist magician named Oscar in Kansas. His nickname is Oz. He's conceited, selfish, and a fibber. We follow his journey from Kansas doing magic shows for half a house in a world of black and white to a world of colorful personalities and wondrous sights to behold. He is transported to Oz via hot air balloon and a twister. He encounters a good witch named Theodora. She tells him of a prophecy of a great wizard that will save them from the wicked witch and restore the Emerald City and Oz. I really liked Mila Kunis in the role. Her role is important as she has to portray two sides, and the one side is kind and gentle, while the other side would be revealed towards the middle of the movie. They start somewhat of a relationship, but based off of the personality of Oscar, we know he's not committed. He journeys to the Emerald City with a trusty companion in Finley the monkey, voiced by Zach Braff, who provides some great comedic lines. The scenery of the Emerald City and the poppy fields was really beautiful. Rachel Weisz filled the role of Evanora perfectly. Weisz is one of my favorite actresses of all time. She demonstrated the calculating presence you want to see from a villain. Evanora has deceived everyone into believing somebody else is the Wicked Witch. Evanora spins a tale trying to tell Oscar if he destroys the wand of the Wicked Witch, she'll end her and become king. In Oz, the journey is always exciting, and we meet a new character in China Town (which is a town featured in the books). Her name was China Girl, and voiced by Joey King. That's not the first time we see China Girl in the movie, as she was a girl in a wheelchair in Kansas asking Oscar to help her walk. The Wicked Witch had ransacked China Town, and had killed China Girl's family. Her legs had fallen off, and she wanted to get her family back. In a really nice parallel, Oscar is able to make China Girl walk again with the assistance of glue. The audience really liked that. She was a favorite character amongst the audience in general. I knew that the other witch Evanora sent Oscar to take out had to be Glinda, and I loved the introduction of her. Normally, I can't stand Glinda, but Michelle Williams portrayal made me like her here. She was good, powerful, instilling hope in Oz and its citizens, and pushing Oscar to be a great man-what Glinda is supposed to do. I never liked her in the original because she just comes across as such a first class...something that rhymes with witch haha. Oscar recognizes Glinda from somebody in his past, who is the mother of a certain character we all know from the original so well that begins with a D. Of course, Evanora is spinning her web of deceit over her sister Theodora showing Oscar with Glinda, which infuriates her. She is able to make her tap into her wickedness that has been in her all along. I noticed a ruby ring on her finger which gave Theodora power, like Evanora's emerald necklace. I liked the way the transformation scene was shot. Evanora brought Theodora down to her level. The rivalry of the Wicked Witch of the West vs. Glinda is one of the best rivalries you can find. Since Theodora is young, obviously her heart is going to take a toll. The spell took away Theodora's heart, made her the WWOW, and transformed her beauty into what a wicked witch would look like. Why is Evanora beautiful though? We'd find that out. They had a great scene where WWOW, in a similar fashion to when she first appears in The Wizard of Oz, appears for the first time. I liked the look of the WWOW-it maintained the traditional look Margaret Hamilton made famous, while also adding a few new tweaks to keep it modern-particularly the dress. She vowed to make people regret their decision to make Oscar their king. She also showed her disdain for Glinda. We know that the army of Oz cannot kill, so a plan has to be hatched to stop two Wicked Witches now. I liked that while appealing to a younger audience, they still were able to appeal to an older audience, particulary when Theodora and Evanora captured Glinda. The witches of Oz is the best story in the Oz universe. The intensity where two sisters team up to drain Glinda of her goodness to have her join them was great. Williams sold it so well. Oscar is a magician, and is able to portray some tricks that excite the citizens of Oz, as well as battle the witches of Oz without killing anybody. Evanora and Glinda have an intense fight where Evanora and Glinda have a staredown and a crazy battle using their magic to gain an advantage over the other. Glinda is able to expose Evanora in her true form, and I liked the way they did that. We all know how Evanora will meet her end, so its not going to be here where it happens, but it was a good battle. Glinda was awesome in this movie. My favorite character in the Oz universe is the WWOW, though. Oscar takes his seat as the wizard fulfilling the prophecy, as well as granting wishes to help those who came with him on the journey, and allowed him to create the magic to battle Theodora and Evanora. This movie was excellent appealing to a new generation as well as an older generation. It balanced many of the traditions we came to love from the Wizard of Oz in 1939 and added a new story for a different audience-great blend. We saw the introduction of the Wicked Witch of the West similar to how we did in the original. we saw the Scarecrow-who would have even more of an impact on the Emerald City than Oscar. We saw the Cowardly Lion briefly. We even saw a reference to the Tin Man with the tinker men, and of course Evanora's spell taking away Theodora's heart. We saw Glinda's bubbles as well, which was really cool. The cast, effects, story, characters, and blend of comedy with fantasy dramatic elements make this a 5/5!! I really enjoyed this.
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