Oz: The Great and Powerful (1 Viewer)

[MatthewA]

I just saw this in 3-D and I was blown away with the film's visuals. It'll never replace MGM's The Wizard of Oz, but if Judy were alive to see this Oz, Dorothy would never have wanted to go home. It's good enough to earn the right to call itself a true prequel to the movie (and it is now a trilogy thanks to Return to Oz). The references to the 1939 movie were well-placed and not gratuitous or cutesy.
The human cast is fine (Mila Kunis as Theodora and Tony Cox as Knuck were the most effective in their performances), but Finley the Winged Monkey steals the show, and the China Girl is a truly heartbreaking character.
The biggest reservations I had about the film were the credit for "Disney Presents," omitting Walt's name entirely (not Raimi's fault) and the modern song over the end credits that was stylistically inconsistent with the rest of the film.
See it in 3-D.
My rating: 4/5

 

[Jose Martinez]

I saw it in IMAX 3D the other day and I liked it. Visually, it was amazing but it wasn't as good or great as I was hoping it would be. The little China Girl was really well done and the winged monkey was a good sidekick. Just thought James Franco kind of hammed it up a bit too much though. Mila Kunis was great until she put on the makeup. I still found her a little too sexy as the Wicked Witch of the West. Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams were good too. However, I thought it just lacked the magic of The Wizard of Oz.

 

[Johnny Angell]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]I haven't seen the movie yet and want to go in not comparing to WOO. This one is not a musical and I'm not a child when I see it for the first time. This has a high bar to be compared against. Has another film had so much to live up to? Jeez, this one has to live up to childhood memories.

 

[Dave Upton]

I saw this last night in 2D - (3D auditoriums were all the wrong show time) and was fairly impressed with the quality of the effects. Overall I give the film 3.75/5 - and it's worth a watch. I'll probably watch this on 3D Blu-ray in a few months rather than pay admission again.

 

Fantastic film all the way around. There is so much to take in. I saw it Friday night and have been thinking about it ever since. Very much in the spirit of Baum's books.

 

[TravisR]

I was pretty impressed and I'm not really into fantasy movies. Franco and Williams are both really good. I hope the upcoming big budget summer movies are all as good as this.

 

[MatthewA]

Originally Posted by Jose Martinez Just thought James Franco kind of hammed it up a bit too much though.

I thought he was pretty restrained compared to Frank Morgan. Such comparisons are inevitable because the visual style is in the spirit of the 1939 film. The way the colors pop off the screen, it almost looked like it had been shot in Technicolor. Still, it works in its own right.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Saw this in 2D and really liked it. Sam Raimi pulled it off making a prequel to the original that honors it and at the same time creates a movie with modern sensibilities. Gorgeous to look at and well acted too. The China Girl was a wonderful character. Well done Sam.

 

[Stan]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]I haven't seen the movie yet and want to go in not comparing to WOO. This one is not a musical and I'm not a child when I see it for the first time. This has a high bar to be compared against. Has another film had so much to live up to? Jeez, this one has to live up to childhood memories.

Didn't realize is wasn't a musical, but the previews and commercials, although always edited to show the "good stuff" look pretty decent. Some friends and I are going to see it this week. This sounds awful, but the last film I saw at a theatre was "Gladiator". With the lack of decent manners, cell phones, etc.., I just grew tired of dealing with other people and waited for the DVD. This will be my first attempt at seeing a film with a crowd in a long time, hope it turns out well.

 

[TonyD]

Saw it on IMax today and loved it. Had fun watching the characters and thought Kunis was fine and then great as the witch. I just didnt like the green makeup and prosthetic, made her head too big. Also noticed at least two changes from the trailer. I thought the monkey says, " did that bird say we're gonna die?" IN the movie Oz says it. Also in the trailer when the Kunis witch first appears out of the fire her silhouette is much more evident, in the movie you could barely see it. In the trailer I think she cackle/laughs while scratching her fingernails on the table, I dont think she cackled in the movie then. Probably see it again when wife gets home from being out of state. Some of the 3D effects during the b&w section were great and some went off into the side bars too. Not 100% sure but I think the sound during b&w opening was mono until the tornado hits. Anyway 4/5 stars

 

[Paul D G]

Originally Posted by Stan
With the lack of decent manners, cell phones, etc.., I just grew tired of dealing with other people and waited for the DVD. This will be my first attempt at seeing a film with a crowd in a long time, hope it turns out well.

Choose well your choice of theater and showtime. There are two theaters close to me (one half a mile) but I choose to drive to one several miles away. It's in an area not as heavily populated, teens can't easily walk to it, etc. Plus the people are more polite there. I almost never have 'cell phone' issues and I go regularly. I also go in the afternoons, which helps. It's often me and an old couple or two.

 

[EricSchulz]

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time, so my expectation level was a bit higher. LOVED the movie, but felt about 2/3 of the way through it dragged a bit. I thought it was a great homage to the original and very respectful of it. The majority of the effects and 3D were pretty amazing. Definitely glad I saw it in a theater!

 

[Richard V]

Loved everything about this movie. Great homage to the original and clever ways to introduce major plot elements without making it too obvious. Agree with previous post that the China Girl was heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. 4.5/5. Bravo!!

 

[mattCR]

Took my youngest son to a matinee show and was pleasantly surprised. I thought this worked far better than I expected, and some characters were very good.
I found the final battle for Oz to be a great spin on the original and every element of it sold me. The China Girl was a great part that helped build Oz as a character who could be seen as a wizard with redeemable qualities.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I didn't much like it, perhaps casting Franco in the lead role hampered my enjoyment of the overall film, but I just didnt like the story all that much either.

For me, I give it 2 stars, or a grade of C. (But I suspect I wasn't the target audience).

 

[Dick]

DEAR DISNEY - If you're reading this, how about giving us a tie-in Blu-ray release for this...the hugely underrated RETURN TO OZ?

 

[Qui-Gon John]

I just saw this, this past weekend, and I really liked it. Since it is a prequel and not a remake of The Wizard of Oz, I think it did a good job setting things up, mostly in line with what follows in Wizard. Thought the way they made her look and the work she did, Mila was great as the Wicked Witch of the West. When Oz was giving out gifts, I was waiting for him to give Glinda a BIG DRESS. Wish they would have made it clearer about Evanora still living and being the Wicked Witch of the East, who meets her demise under Dorothy's house. Still think it all works and ties together quite well.