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Review of the movie "Oz the Great and Powerful"

Fri Jun 13 2025

The Great and Powerful Oz: A Prequel Worthy of the Name

Oscar Diggs (Franco), a small-time illusionist with big dreams, yearns for global fame. For now, he’s stuck with the fleeting glory of a traveling circus star, using his charm to woo both audience members and fellow performers. But fate has a funny way of intervening. While escaping the wrath of a disgruntled strongman, Oscar leaps into a nearby hot air balloon. A conveniently timed tornado sweeps him away, depositing him in a magical land called Oz – the very name he uses on stage.

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For Disney, “The Wizard of Oz” has been a sort of Holy Grail for over seven decades. Back in 1937, Walt Disney planned an animated adaptation of Frank Baum’s first novel. However, MGM made Baum an offer he couldn’t refuse. The resulting film, starring Judy Garland and utilizing groundbreaking color technology, redefined cinematic possibilities. Disney made several further attempts to adapt Baum’s work, but with limited success. Only “Return to Oz” made it to the screen, and it never achieved classic status. This history underscores the significance of “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” a prequel that feels like a hard-won victory, arriving after MGM’s decline.

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Crafting the Prequel

Baum never wrote a novel about his protagonist’s past. Disney entrusted David Lindsay-Abaire (a seasoned Disney writer) and Mitchell Kapner (writer of “The Whole Nine Yards”) with the task. The film thrives on the tension between a fairy-tale narrative and more grounded, human drama. Sam Raimi, who demonstrated his talent for infusing fairy tales with demonic elements in the “Spider-Man” trilogy, was chosen to oversee the construction of this new Emerald City. He understands that for good to triumph convincingly, evil must be genuinely terrifying.

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Raimi’s Touch

“Oz…” delivers a full dose of Raimi’s signature style, familiar from films like “Drag Me to Hell” and “Evil Dead,” but tailored for younger audiences. The film features a slightly unhinged protagonist, Mila Kunis’s captivating transformation into a green-skinned hag on a broomstick, and Rachel Weisz’s commanding witch, who easily outshines her co-stars. And that’s just the human element. They’re joined by winged monkeys, munchkins, winkies, and a porcelain doll – worthy additions to the bestiaries of both Baum and Raimi.

The Illusionist’s Transformation

The heart of the story, of course, is Oscar Diggs’s transformation into the Wizard of Oz. The finale, dedicated to this metamorphosis, is a surprisingly insightful reflection on the wondrous nature of cinema. It’s a theme more often found in arthouse films than in a $200 million blockbuster designed to be viewed through colorful glasses.