Cinema Review - Oz the Great and Powerful (PG, 130 Mins.)

Synopsis: A small-time magician is swept away to an enchanted land and is forced into a power struggle between three witches.

Verdict: This film is definitely a slow burner. Early scenes portray Oz as one of the most unlikeable protagonists I've seen on screen as he womanises and refuses to help a child in a wheelchair. It's not until we arrive in the magical land of Oz that this film comes into it's own - despite still following in the shadow of Judy Garland's original.

Whilst the plot is fairly run of the mill Hollywood (spinster turns good, rag tag team of underdogs etc etc) there is certainly a lot more going on than other recent book adaptations such as Snow White and the Huntsman. The saving grace in this respect is the snappy one-liners which help to differentiate it from the much darker Alice in Wonderland, with it being much more similar to Enchanted.

Of course, however, the visuals are the real star of this show as shown by the trailers. An ingenious move by Sam Raimi was to show the early scenes in Kansas in black and white 4:3 ratio before expanding into colourful widescreen to show how magical a land Oz is. In addition to this I'd say it's a must-see in 3D as it takes full advantage of the hit-and-miss format with depth being added to the beautiful landscapes and creatures flying right in your face. I doubt you'd feel the same impact at home on DVD. Whilst many of the in your face special effects steal away your attention, some minor ones had a significant affect on storytelling and were nice touches - most notably the the scars left on Kunis' face from her burning tears.

Credit where it's due however for the acting. Mila Kunis was genuinely surprising as Theodora, showing some real acting chops through her characters' transformation. Meanwhile Rachel Weisz struck the perfect balance between hammy and cold to make her witch an intimidating threat. My only gripe about the acting is that James Franco seemed a bit uncomfortable when his character started to expand out of his usual sleazy roles. However this is a minor issue and he still gives a convincing performance.

As the story unfolds it's clear that Disney are intending to make a franchise from this movie with some loose ends not entirely tied up. If time is spent on a decent script which continues to let characters grow then this could be a franchise to keep an eye on.
3.5/5