Oz The Great and Powerful:
Lacks magic
Ruwini Jayawardana
Though Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great and Powerful is said to be based on L
Frank Baum’s multi-volume Oz series of books, the movie is essentially a
prequel to the famous 1939 film, ‘The Wizard Of Oz.’Walt Disney
Pictures’ first attempt to go the Oz way was with Return To Oz in 1985.
The winged monkey voiced by Zach Braff |
Oz The Great and Powerful begins in a black and white mode. Trickster
magician Oscar Diggs is transported the magical land of Oz in an air
balloon. As the cyclone diminishes, the scenes shift to a gorgeous
setting where 3D technique and vibrant colours are at its full glory.
There he realizes that he is taken for the wizard who is prophesied to
save the realm from a wicked witch. A witch named Theodora falls into
his charms and takes him to the Emerald kingdom to meet her sister,
Evanora, but unlike Theodora, Evanora needs to be convinced that Oscar
is really the powerful wizard that he claims himself to be. The sisters
send him on a deadly quest to free the land from the evil witch. With
only a winged monkey and a china doll for company Oscar embarks into the
dark forest hoping to steal the witch’s wand and destroy it so that she
will be vanquished forever. However unusual circumstances lead him to
Glinda the Good and the oppressed citizens of Oz. There the truth comes
to light.
Oz The Great and Powerful succeeds in the visual department. The
luscious mountains, vibrantly colourful flowers, board skylines, green
wilderness and breathtaking waterfalls are a feast for the eyes. The
viewers are full of expectations when they see the beauty to which Oscar
arrives from the black and white sequences. Sadly Raimi fails to retain
this excitement throughout the movie.
Theodora, Oscar, Glinda and Evanora |
There is no doubt that Diggs’ role has been constructed with Johnny
Depp in mind. However what Depp pulled off with ease is an ill-fit for
James Franco. The fact that Franco’s Oscar is introduced as a greedy,
shallow, cowardly conman to us does not make his task easier. He fails
to win us over with his transformation. Another sad fact is that the
talented Michelle Williams who gave a stellar performance in My Week
with Marilyn in 2011 has nothing much to do but look pretty in the film
as Glinda the Good.
It is actually the dark and deadly characters who stand out in the
movie. Both Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis are splendid in their
performances though they have to play second fiddle to Franco and
Williams. Weisz makes an elegant but fiendish Evanora. However Kunis is
the true star of the show with her remarkable transformation brought on
by the heartbreak from the naïve younger sister to the vengeance-seeking
monster. Her act is truly bewitching and adds unexpected and much needed
depth to Oz The Great and Powerful. Zach Braff and Joey King do
commendable jobs by voicing for the monkey and china doll. Both these
characters are good replacements for the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow who
accompany Dorothy to the Wizard of Oz in the famous folktale. However it
is a pity that the team has not taken the trouble to develop their
characters further rather then make them mere companions or side kicks
for the main characters.
Screenplay writers Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire could
have done so much better in organising a lively tale with such
resources. Yet most of the scenes of Oz The Great and Powerful are
clichés or just plain silly. It would have been nice to have some
genuine comic relief in the film rather than the scant laughs brought
out by the supporting characters.
Taking off with a promising start Oz The Great and Powerful soon
loses its steam. Despite its star cast and commendable visual splendours
the film fails to hold the viewers’ interest. |