Oz, The Great And Powerful: A Review

[teaberryblue]

So, I don’t do this as often as I used to, but this one has really given me some food for thought. Eug and I went to see Oz: The Great and Powerful on Friday night.  And while overall, I liked it, and thought it was a well-made movie, there were a few things about it that distressed me.

Elizabeth Rappe over at Jezebel already wrote quite a lovely

Comments

[pantryslut]

I was OK with Wicked changing facts b/c the victors write history, right? So they lied. In fact I thought that was part of the whole underlying point. (So my mileage varies.)

I will probably zee Oz at some point and it will probably be in my living room so I can grouse at it appropriately without bothering too many people around me.

[teaberryblue]

I can buy that if you're saying specific characters lied, and if it's plausible within the universe where the story is being told. But you've got to be able to keep it within the confines of the original universe. In the case of Wicked, the Wizard could totally have lied to Dorothy, but once you have Glinda lying (very very much out of character) and then have to assume that Dorothy isn't just duped, but complicit in the lie, and that Baum himself is lying, when he's the one who created the world, that's taking it a bit too far. To me, Maguire's "it's a lie" is a cheap, easy way out. I'd much rather read the story where someone explains the Wicked Witch as a character while sticking to canonical facts. It's the trickier, and ultimately braver thing to do. "It's all a lie" is like saying "I'm too lazy to do my research."

[pantryslut]

I disagree that "it's all a lie" is just laziness. Like I said, the victors write the history, Baum could have been its main chronicler, I am OK with that. It probably helps that I was not a huge fan of the Oz books. They were fun but I was never invested in the world and I do think the Wicked Witches got a raw deal. I am not interested in a story where she is evil, period, no matter the reasoning. I'd rather break the canon. As I said, mileage varies.

[teaberryblue]

If it's not laziness, Maguire wouldn't have ignored canon facts that have nothing to do with how someone might present the story, like the fact that Glinda is centuries older than the Witch of the West (that's established in the books) and therefore would never have gone to school with her. A fanfic writer would get laughed off AO3 for that. And that's someone doing it for fun, so I expect much, much more from someone doing it professionally.

[pachakuti]

I never finished Wicked, the book; I just legitimately did not like it at all. I felt like the writer was sneering at everything the whole time; the characters, the plot, the audience, everybody. And, as a fan of the old books, there was just... too much that was entirely wrong.

[teaberryblue]

Yeah, to me, this movie actually did quite a lot right by the books (though it did make some mistakes, they were mostly mistakes I could forgive as they were more in line with the 1939 movie). I know I'm being highly critical here, but if there weren't enough things I liked about it, I would have just said it sucked and moved on.

[kid_lit_fan]

I...liked-is-a-strong-word-ed it, but I had a lot of trouble with one of the main plot drivers being, essentially "Bitches are cray-cray." (Also, the romance felt sour for the same reasons you stated AND that I hate movies where people are in love with someone then fall in love with another person who looks just the same because they are played by the same actor. I GET that they were doing the MGM movie "Counterparts from Kansas thing"--I found the China Girl arc really touching and well done, they caught PTSD without making it REALLY frightening.--but the Oz loves Glinda who looks like Dorothy's Future Mom thing equated a sweet but essentially strong, smart ruler with a simple country girl and huh?

I am so proud that my 15-year-old daughter said "I thought it was...good, I...liked it, but I think the the girl who plays Jackie* should get better parts than that, there should have been something between "I'm stupid and know nothing and now I'm EEEEVIL!!!"

I wish there was a way to show her Ms. Kunis' excellent acting in Black

[teaberryblue]

Yeah, oh, god, The Black Swan with its message of "lesbian fantasies about your friends will turn you into a murderer." That's one of those movies I just have so many issues with, even though it's beautifully made and acted. I thought we were beyond the virgin/whore dichotomy, you know?

But, yes, that's it entirely. I didn't mind the "in love with the doppelganger" thing soooo much because they were doing the Ozian doppelganger thing, but I did take issue with the "in love at all" part.

[kid_lit_fan]

I should know better. Whenever I hear that movies are "provocative" and have "strong female characters," I should think "there's(incredibly mild) lesbian sex and/or BD/SM and it really follows the same old tropes about women," then I won't be disappointed.

I'd've loved an Oz: The Great and Powerful with witches who just WERE wicked and powerful (or good and powerful) without getting James Franco's admittedly adorable lips mixed up in it. Of course, I'd like to see a Sixteen Candles with JUST the Molly Ringwald really realistic teenager and none of the horrifying sexism and racism, and also a Black Swan that really was provocative, the fulfilled the brief shining promise of strong women (but the other alternative is Joe Ezstherhas bad, with the women beating their director while topless.).

[teaberryblue]

That's why I felt like Evanora/East was the one character of the witches I could stomach-- because she was a character who WAS just wicked and powerful, and used the other characters' weaknesses against each other to her own ends. You never got the feeling that she actually was attracted to Oz, just that she knew he expected it and she could act the part. She worked for me. The fact that it happened to be at the expense of her own younger sister was a bit sad and frustrating because it started to veer into "catty bitch" territory for me. If there's one thing I do appreciate about Wicked (and there isn't much), it's that it's a story about a young woman who is protective and loving toward her sister, and we don't have enough of those-- it's one of the best things for me about The Hunger Games

[gabbygrl]

So West goes evil and it's all "wickedness is something that happened to you, so if you ever feel good again and want to come back..." What? In the movie I watched, she chose to eat that apple. She asked for it, and she seemed to know it would change her in profound ways.

Also I have need in my life seen a film with more female characters than male ones which failed the Bechdel test so amazingly. East and West have been sisters their whole lives, and they can't find anything to talk about other than this guy who is honestly not all that worthwhile? Not the kingdom? Or... anything? I know it's his movie, but thirty seconds?

[teaberryblue]

I don't know that I agree about the apple-eating. She seemed to approach it as if she thought it would help her in some way, or where she needed a drastic change, which is a typical thing to do after a breakup. I mean, I still don't think she should have felt driven to that kind of drastic action after ONE DAY, but she clearly didn't know just what it would do to her until she ate it, and then seemed horrified for the split second between realization and action.

But we also know that she couldn't come back from it, from the events of the original movie, and that made me sad.

[sunnyrea]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm yeah, I think do not want to see this movie. I do however want to go read all the Oz books now!

[teaberryblue]

The Oz books are wonderful. I don't want to completely slam the movie, there was a lot I liked about it. But this frustrated me.

[sunnyrea]

I get pretty quickly annoyed when movies just do an downright shitty job or portraying female characters and just fall back on romance plots (either instant love or suddenly evil due to 'love') Annoys the fuck out of me and tends to overshadow everything else because it is so stupid and lazy and just fucking insulting

[teaberryblue]

Yes, then please don't see this movie. I don't want an angry Becca.