Ashley Hodges Bazer - Author
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Oz - Not So Great and Powerful

3/19/2013

1 Comment

 
Last night, I got to see Oz, the Great and Powerful. I had high hopes for this movie. I loved the colors and designs I saw in the trailers. I was a huge Oz fan as a child (although I have to admit I've never read the books). I was even willing to look past the lead actor - let me say up front that James Franco is not among my favorite actors.

Sadly, I left the theater disappointed.

The first scenes, presented in black and white as a tribute to The Wizard of Oz, seemed to last a bit too long. That kind of carried through the rest of the film. The scripting seemed laborious and a bit campy at times. When we're talking children's movies, I understand that a certain amount of "camp" has to happen...but this wasn't strictly a children's movie.

The whole premise behind how the Wicked Witch of the West turned wicked was an implied affair with the Wizard. That's pretty adult content, and that turned me off. Bringing that kind of reasoning for a villain into a children's story just doesn't work, in my opinion, of course. And as far as the Witch is concerned, Mila Kunis was far too pretty, even in the green makeup.

As I said earlier, I was willing to overlook James Franco. Willing to give him another shot as an actor. I couldn't stand him. I found nothing endearing about his character, even as he transformed into the loveable Wizard of Oz.

The final battle scene between Glinda and Evanora reminded me of the battles between Jedi and Sith in Star Wars. Been there, done that. It could have been much more spectacular or creative...and it fell short.

All that to say, I'm glad I got to see the movie. Had I DVRed it, I probably would have skimmed through and deleted it promptly. Because someone paid for it, I sat through it. If I don't think too much about it, I might be able to say I enjoyed it. But from a critical point of view, it let me down.

I've love to hear what you think, though. Let me know!
1 Comment
Jennifer West
4/11/2013 12:41:03 pm

I just saw it tonight and I would have to say that I agree with you. James Franco would not have been my first choice as the Wizard. He just seemed like he was trying too hard through the whole movie. I stil loved the monkey though ... he was the best part ... and the china doll. I thought the whole thing with Theadora was weird .. right from the start when she was planning their marriage the second after she met him. Creepy. The colours were beautiful, but there were parts that dragged. After seeing "Mirror Mirror" and being diappointed in that too, it is like the movie industry is trying to pump out fantasy movies because they are the "in" thing, but they are doing it too fast without much thought going into the script. It's all fluff and special effects.

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    Duchess Writer

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  • Home
  • Star Sailors
    • The Commodore >
      • Characters
    • The Princess >
      • Characters
    • The Skyjacker >
      • Characters
    • The Stowaway >
      • Characters
    • The Operative >
      • Characters
  • The Crown's Call
    • Heralds of the Crown >
      • Poison >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scenes
      • Fusion >
        • Characters
        • Deleted Scene
      • Reconciled >
        • Characters
    • Rise of the Crown
    • Touch of the Crown >
      • Outlaw >
        • Characters
    • Champions of the Crown >
      • Asylum >
        • Characters
    • Fun Stuff >
      • The Timeline
      • The System
      • The Inhabitants >
        • Logia/Lumen/Ghosts
        • Strages/Crepusculum/Legacy
  • Time Spinners
    • In the Beginning >
      • Characters
  • Other Novels
    • Tinsel Pines Tales
    • Checkmate >
      • Characters
    • Once Upon a Heist >
      • Characters
      • Map of Paladia
      • Venefica's Curse
  • Bio
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Promo
    • Mamma Mia
  • Buy
  • Blog