Could have used a little more magic, but otherwise, this is a decent family flick that seems to set up the original nicely (not that i've seen that classic movie in a while). Colourful and fun, with a good cast and interesting new characters - loved the Porcelain Doll! No classic, but as this was a risky venture for the studio - it's rare we get sequels/prequels to vintage movies - this could have been a whole lot worse.
As someone who absolutely adores both Sam Raimi and the original The Wizard of Oz film from 1939, it's a shame how painfully average and sometimes cringe-inducing this movie is. It's nowhere near a bad movie, but it could've been so much more. James Franco has no distinct or interesting personality, Mila Kunis was a fucking atrocious choice for the wicked witch of the west, and the CGI sidekicks were annoying at best.
Raimi, I love you. I expect much more from you. I love all your other movies, but this one... dang.
Omg i looooved it the evil witches transformation is so creapy
Omg i looooved it the evil witches transformation is so creapy
Decent show. Not what I was expecting, but not bad.
Not much of a story and James Franco is absolutely terrible as the wizard. But Michelle Williams is the heart and soul, as she is continuing to be in every new movie. She is getting more and more beautiful and sexy for every movie. A real woman now.
I absolutely loved this film. When it first started, there were parts that dragged, and I didn't think much of it. But as it went along, I became more and more hooked on the characters and the way they fought back against the Wicked Witch was very clever. Though some of it was a bit predictable, it was nevertheless a wonderful film.
Wasn't expecting much, but it did seem like some of the acting was weak, and easily lost my attention within the first hour.
I love the original Wizard of Oz and it was rather odd how this film took a different turn, however I treat it as a completely separate movie and I actually enjoyed it. Just don't expect it to perfectly explain a lot from the original movie.
Omg i looooved it the evil witches transformation is so creapy
I love the movie. It takes you back to the world of OZ once again. It's simply magical. I do recommend it to all my friends. It's funny, cute, have a great history, adventure. Anyway, watch it.
I liked it. The production design is very good, and the 3D looks pretty good. It has some flaws, but I came out of the theater truly happy. I recommend it. It is a good adventure movie for children.
Visually stunning, Oz the Great and Powerful is a wondrous re-envisioning of L. Frank Baum’s classic fairytale. The story follows a carnival magician who’s swept away to a magical land where he’s heralded as the savior of prophecy who will free the people from the tyranny of the Wicked Witch. The cast is pretty solid, and includes James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Zach Braff. The special effects are also rather good, and the set designs are especially imaginative. Additionally, director Sam Raimi does a brilliant job at homaging the original The Wizard of Oz MGM musical in both the story and the filmmaking style; so as almost to be a prequel to it. Oz the Great and Powerful is an enchanting and fun film that’s full of adventure.
Not only is this not very good; Sam Raimi's turned the colour all the way up to 'ouch my fuckin' eyes'.
only one scene really sold me this film, and it reminded me of the the first spider man movie by Raimi, who in this movie filmed an exact copy of a scene from that film (I won't say which one is but those who saw both movies will understand). that's the only moment when you can see an improvement in the overall film. very interesting the usage of colours and picture format. everything else is in the average standards for the blockbuster movies. it's entertaining but it won't do much more than that. well directed. all the merits to Raimi that saved an otherwise forgettable movie.
Synopsis: Oscar, also known as the great and powerful Oz, is a magician with a traveling circus whose act hasn't been doing very well lately. When he lands himself in trouble with the circus' strongman, he hops into a hot air balloon to make an escape...only for a storm to take him to the land of Oz, where it was prophesied that a great wizard who bears the name of the land will save them from utter disaster. There, the magician meets three witches, two of which turn out to be evil, and want to rule the land of Oz with an iron fist. However, Glinda, the good witch, wants Oz saved, and she believes Oscar can do it. However, the so-called "wizard" is merely a master of illusion, not a sorcerer. Will he be able to rescue his namesake land from the clutches of the two evil witches?
The Good: I love a good, clean-cut, fantasy/action story, and this is definitely one. The special effects were amazing; the characters either easily likable or utterly despicable; the action sequences were on point; all in all, a fun adventure that brings L. Frank Baum's fictional land into modern cinema.
The Bad: While minor, some content concerns did exist, namely the low-cut wardrobes of the witches, including Glinda. There's also magic present, but, anything that deals with the land of Oz would have that, right? Occasional name-calling and misuses of God's name pops up, and there are a few scary moments. However, this film does not betray its "PG" rating.
Conclusion: I've mentioned more than once that I've always been more partial to Disney's live-action productions; while the House of Mouse has done some animated marvels, especially with Pixar, I've always preferred the non-cartoon ones. So, something like this is right up my alley...and that made me enjoy it all the more. Maybe this isn't Disney as you've come to expect it, but this is how I like my Mickey Mouse productions.
Score: 4.5/5
Great Film, Enjoyable.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I didn't go to the theater to watch this movie. Because i'm not quite sure what relation it had to the original. But one day i decided to watch it, and i'm glad i did! It was very enjoyable, great for children and adults, the casting was great! directing was great, i just think it's an all in all great movie.
Now let's talk about the cast: PERFECT! James Franco: James is a great actor! he can take on many different roles, compare his role from "Spring Breakers" to this and you'll see what i mean. I know there has been some chaos about James being cast, and yes Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp could've been Oz. But i feel like James did a fine job! he was funny, charismatic and just all around great as the character!
Mila Kunis: OK, some people really seem to think she's been miscast, but honestly. This is the witch way before the witch in the original movie, if you get what i mean. The witch in this movie is fresh, doesn't know all the kinks. she's still a girl, in the original the witch has matured and in this one Kunis is portraying a younger fragile witch. She has strong delivery and she is captivating on screen, i felt myself just waiting for her to come back on the screen. She was committed and gave it her all, and she was fantastic! My favorite character!
Rachel Weisz: Brilliant! She really nailed it on the evil, sassy witch, she was amazing! strong dialogue, even though one little hiccup about the movie was dialogue. Rachel i think got the good straw because her dialogue was so feisty and great.
Michelle Williams: I mean i hadn't really heard of her before seeing this, but i mean her role didn't seem to have much affect on me. Shes a beautiful woman and a great actress, but sometimes being good isn't that interesting. But i liked to see her kick butt at the end.
The monkey & china doll were also great contributions to the movie.
All in all, it's greatly acted, beautiful scenery, it's a nice and fun family movie.
Should be called "Weisz, The Great and Powerful" because it is her performance that single handedly redeems this film.
Silly I thought that the wicked witch was hot as a good witch at start
Go Weisz! The best part of the movie
Long story short: movie is terrible.
Yeah, great colors, and such, but that all just give an overall feeling like "hey, this is just fake!".
There's no wonder at all in this movie.
Acting is poor, also, and I kinda used to like Franco.
I wish I could have my 2h back.
Excellent movie for kids and adults.
Meh. Visually beautiful, otherwise it was less than impressive.
This movie already lost me after 20 minutes. one of the worst actings I've ever seen. I'm really disappointed.
Quite nice, better than expected. Very colorful graphics.
A prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," it's similar to James Cameron's "Avatar" in that this movie is sadly a lot of very pretty visuals but is rather hollow underneath. Being a Sam Raimi film, I wanted to like it a lot more, but with two-dimensional characters and the most predictable plot ever, it falls far short of what I'd hoped for it.
Poor monkey, they treat him like a slave.
Pretty boring, and yes very poor acting!
And oz is more evil than both witches.
Well I give up at 1h 30m. Think I wasted enough of my life on this crap.
And the start being in black and white and 4 by 3 is just lame two.
Very good & funny movie. Not just some remake. A different story in Oz!
Garbage! Did not expect it to suck so much!
Where's the tin man? I saw the lion, the scarecrow, but not the tin man. Did I miss him?
What an excellent movie... Didnt think it would be THIS good!
Really enjoyed this! Sam Raimi has a great story telling method
Animations are great but story and acting are a bit weak. Dialogs were badly delivered. Good for kids though.
great visuals, so many color... but someone forgot to add a Movie in there! also, the poor acting and dialog is the worst I have seen in a while...
Great movie for the whole family
great story, terrible acting
Shout by Jim222001VIP 6BlockedParent2022-01-02T22:36:21Z
Raimi captures the atmosphere of the original Wizard of Oz. The script needed work though and some of the casting is off.