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Oz the Great and Powerful

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Sam Raimi

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About the Movie

Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz the Great and Powerful, from the director of the Spider-Man trilogy, follows Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics. When Diggs is hurled away to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot — until he meets three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams), who aren’t convinced he’s the great wizard everyone’s expecting. Reluctantly drawn into epic problems facing Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it’s too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity — and even some wizardry — Oscar transforms himself into the great wizard and a better man as well.

Credits

Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews

TOMATOMETER

59%
  • Reviews Counted: 249
  • Fresh: 147
  • Rotten: 102
  • Average Rating: 6.0/10

Top Critics' Reviews

Rotten: A partially effective jumble whose elements clash rather than cohere, this solid but not spectacular effort stubbornly refuses to catch fire until it's almost too late. – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times, Mar 7, 2013

Fresh: The new Oz falls short of the 1939 Oz in charm and innocence, and certainly in songs. But as family entertainment, it's hard to fault such a rapturous spectacle and astute, suspenseful piece of storytelling. – Tom Charity, CNN.com, Mar 8, 2013

Rotten: Oz the Great and Powerful aims for nostalgia in older viewers who grew up on The Wizard of Oz and still hold the classic dear while simultaneously enchanting a newer, younger audience. It never really accomplishes either successfully. – Christy Lemire, Associated Press, Mar 7, 2013

Fresh: An imaginative mix of live-action and CGI that pays homage to the iconic images and timeless sense of wonder in the classic The Wizard of Oz without being too deferential. – James Berardinelli, ReelViews, Mar 10, 2013

Read More About This Movie On Rotten Tomatoes

Customer Reviews

EPIC

Hands down best movie of the year so far

NOT AS MAGICAL AS THE ORIGINAL, BUT STILL A FUN RIDE

In some way or another, we've all grown up with "The Wizard of Oz." With its unforgettable characters, groundbreaking visuals, and deft storytelling, not only did it pave the way for all other family films to follow, but it still remains one of the most celebrated and iconic achievements in the history of cinema. So when I first found out that Disney would be making a prequel to the 1939 classic with Sam Raimi (who helmed both the "Evil Dead" and "Spider-Man" franchises) as director, I was extremely unsure as to whether they'd be able to pull it off or not. Well, several months later, the moment of truth finally arrived as my friends and I gladly took our seats to see if this latest trip down the Yellow Brick Road was truly a worthy predecessor to the original. And in some ways, it actually was. The cast was well-chosen, the cinematography was just stunning, and the humor was often spot-on. And despite inevitably suffering from a lackluster script and some major tonal inconsistencies, the film still ended up entertaining me the whole way through. What can I say? It was a blast.

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, it seems like he's finally hit the all-time jackpot - fame and fortune are simply his for the taking - that is, until he meets a trio of witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who aren't convinced he's the great and powerful wizard everyone's been eagerly expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it's too late. Putting his clever magic tricks to use through illusion, ingenuity, and even a bit of wizardry, Oscar is soon able to transform himself not only into the hero the people (and creatures) of Oz need, but into a better man as well.

From the very beginning, "Oz the Great and Powerful" wastes practically no time in immersing us into the story. Like the 1939 movie, it opens with a relatively short black-and-white prologue, only to expand into a technicolor world of surreal scenery when Oscar finally enters the Land of Oz. And I have to say, the people in charge of special effects really did an astounding job because the brilliant visuals in this sequence easily blew me away. As the flick moves along, we meet some colorful characters like Finley (Zach Braff), a wisecracking flying monkey in a bellhop's uniform who serves as Oscar's loyal assistant, and China Girl (Joey King), a girl who's, well, made out of china. The two of them make for some truly charming additions to our hero's big journey, although they're definitely no Scarecrow, Tin Man, or Cowardly Lion. As for the three witches, they're actually played quite effectively by Kunis, Weisz, and Williams. Even though it's pretty obvious which one of them will inevitably turn into into the Wicked Witch, it's still an undeniably intense moment when she makes her iconic transformation, which mostly occurs off-camera. And then there's James Franco, who does a surprisingly impressive job playing the lead character in a family film. While providing some much-needed personality and authentic depth for his otherwise unassuming role, he also makes Oscar the movie's sly, unpredictable anti-hero of sorts, a man who's in eternal battle with his virtues and vices, that is, until he finds a pointless love interest in Glinda (I'm not even gonna bother going into that). The film is indeed rooted in formulaic, self-sufficient storytelling that hardly tries to do anything groundbreaking in terms of narrative creativity. Plus, the visual spectacle is often placed right in center stage rather than the development of any significant characters. However, despite its overly simplistic tone and troublesome lack of restraint, "Oz" still remains a solidly engaging treat that ultimately gets the job done in terms of entertainment.

"Oz the Great and Powerful" may not quite be the fantastical, imaginative adventure most of us were expecting, but that hardly means it's a bad film. In fact, I'd say it's probably one of the top experiences I've had at the movies so far this year. The characters are fun and interesting in their own way (even the not-so-memorable ones), the CGI visuals and special effects are absolutely breathtaking, and the heartfelt homages to the iconic "Wizard of Oz" are both nostalgic and sweetly surprising. Of course, there are a few distracting issues that the film never really gets around to fixing, such as pacing that usually drags at times and a plot that fails to reach any emotional climax, but in this case, nearly all the good areas tend to outweigh the bad. Long story short, if you and your family are just looking for some good, old-fashioned fantasy escapism, "Oz" is a solid way to pass the time.

A great prequal to the Wizard of Oz

Oz the Great and Powerful really blew me away with its stunning animation and beautiful characters through and through. At times though Oz tended to get a bit cheesy and corny with its acting by Mila Kunis. Don't get me wrong Mila is a great acter and all, but I think she should stick to innappropriate comedys. Oz is about a down on his luck phony magician named Oscar( played by James Franco) who gets caught in a tornado and litterly drops into the wonderful land of Oz. He meets one of the three witches who is good( Mila Kunis) and tells him that there is a proficy that says a mighty powerful wizard will come and save the people from the Wicked Witch( played by Rachel Weisz). Oscar pretends that he is the wizard they are looking for and must stop the Wicked Witch from taking over. Oz the Great and Powerful is a cunning twist that flows right into the Wizard of Oz. All in all Oz was a great performance with some cheesy acting, but not enough for me to say it was a terrible miss for Disney. Oz is spectacular movie with so many twists it will leave you thoroughly satisfied by its performance.

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