Movie reviews: Oz the Great and Powerful
Oscar Diggs is a carnival magician and conman. One day he is swept up by a tornado and finds himself in the Land of Oz. There he meets a kindly witch named Theodora, who believes that Oscar is the Wizard in a prophecy stating that he will defeat the Wicked Witch and return peace to Oz. Theodora's sister Evanora isn't convinced however, but believes that she can use Oscar to kill the so-called Wicked Witch any way. On his journey to kill the Wicked Witch, Oscar meets a flying monkey named Finley and a little girl made of china called... China Girl. The group then meet Glinda, the allegedly Wicked Witch, but discover that Glinda is actually a good witch and Evanora is the true Wicked Witch. Unfortunately, Theodora isn't so lucky and her jealousy enables Evanora to cast a spell on her sister to turn her wicked as well.
This might be blasphemous, but I never really cared for The Wizard of Oz. I always thought that it was rather twee. Thankfully, this film wasn't the slightest bit twee. That isn't to say that this prequel has gone all grim and gritty though.
I was initially worried that I wouldn't like Oscar because he is basically a big fat liar and Theodora turning into the Wicked Witch of the East was pretty much his fault, but he eventually becomes a more likable character. I suppose your girlfriend turning evil will make you reevaluate your life.
The Wicked Witch wasn't an ugly old crone here. It probably had something to do with the character being played by Mila Kunis, but the Wicked Witch was much sexier than I was used to. Then again, most of the people in this film were pretty easy on the eye.
It was nice to see some actual characterization for Evanora, the Wicked Witch of the East. In the original film she was little more than a pair of legs sticking out from underneath Dorothy's house. In this film she is actually the villain behind everything, but she soon regrets her decision of turning Theodora evil. Evanora is willing to let her enemies live, but Theodora basically wants to kill everything!
Look out for a cameo from a certain lion that Oscar scares away with one of his tricks. It was nice to see Glinda actually do something as well. Did she actually do anything important in the original film? I can't remember. Any way, she proves herself to be just as powerful as the Wicked Witches and even engages Evanora in a magic battle near the end of the film.
I did feel that there were some unfortunate implications in this film though. Theodora turns wicked because she falls in love with Oscar and the supposedly strong female characters need a man to save the land. Also, with this film being a sequel, you know that most of the characters are going to survive, so there wasn't much tension.
Three and a half pointy hats.
Next time: Pitch Black
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