I went to see Oz: the Great and Powerful it’s opening day, and I must begin by saying it wasn’t exactly what I expected it to be. Was it a good movie? Relatively. For this movie, I will review the pros and cons. If you’re thinking about seeing this movie, consider this review, along with others, to see if you find it suitable for you. Oz: the Great and Powerful is about a man named Oz, a con magician, who is swept away by a tornado into the land of Oz. Basically, similar to the original synopsis.
Pros
The major pros, or strong points of this movie is the very beginning and the very end. I’m not saying the best part was the opening and the credits.
The beginning scenes were done creatively. Meant to mimic The Wizard of Oz, this movie begins in black and white. It felt like I was sent back into the 1940s while watching it. This connects the younger generation to the old.
I also really like the character Oz. He was well-developed. Many details were taken into account with him, even more than other characters.
There were many scenes that stayed true to the original. For one, the CGI graphic elements were emphasized heavily, just like technicolor was emphasized more than anything else in Wizard of Oz. For a PG movie, the graphics were great. If you remember certain dialogue in the original movie, certain character and scene highlights will make sense to you, like the green witch of the west wearing Ruby slippers (quote from Wizard of Oz: “Those are my ruby slippers!”-Wicked Witch of the West). Another thing, just like the world of Oz was meant to mimic Dorothy’s life and teach her a moral lesson about home, it was the same with the magician Oz. In the Wizard of Oz, her uncles were scarecrow, tin man, and cowardly lion, and much of the world of Oz mimics her life. In Oz: the Great and Powerful, the world of Oz mimics his own reckless life. These scenes were charming and enjoyable.
The ending was the most spectacular part for most people. It was refreshing in a sea of action movies, who try everything in their power to push the edge. Most people expect to see an all-out battle when watching films nowadays. I can’t tell you enough that all the movie trailers before the movie looked alike: it’s an apocalypse…earth is/will be destroyed…alien life force…flying vehicles that crash into walls…serious faces…explosions…guns…fights…EPIC…the world as we know it is blah blah blah…So this movie’s choice of defeating the wicked witches wasn’t only clever, inventive, creative, and humorous, it was ORIGINAL. Truly, a breath of fresh air.
Of course, Disney can’t have a movie without adding elements that make it’s mark, such as romantic princess kisses, where legs pop up and turn on switches…and, of course, poison apples. I actually like the Disney reminders.
The movie had a lot of romance. That also made it feel like a 1940s movie, ya know, the neck craned back, dramatic kissing scenes? Yea.
For a PG movie, it’s pretty good. It’s great for the family, especially kids. They’ll be enchanted by all of the top-of-the-line graphics; so much better than Wizard of Oz. For adults, it’s charming, but of course, you may find some weaknesses, or in my case, one major one.
Cons
One major, major weakness to this movie is the same weaknesses found in Tim Burton and Disney’s Alice in Wonderland: everything happens too fast. So fast, that I couldn’t feel the story. The major problem was the “adventure” to find the “wicked witch”. That “adventure” was entirely too short. There was no anticipation, no long voyage that swept the audience along. It was entirely too easy to find the “wicked witch”. The “Dark Forest” was so short and brief, I was hardly amazed. We didn’t even walk into a deadly witch tower to find her…
There was no adventure, so the sidekick characters were hardly developed. They didn’t seem to add any useful skills to the story, like the monkey’s flying or the porcelain girl being able to camouflage among other china items.
Overall, this movie gets a 7/10 from me. While it’s a charming movie for kids, adults may find the movie charming, more original than most, more wholesome than most, but lacking in major story development areas. I really think Disney could’ve done a better job with this movie, but hey there were more plot holes in the Little Mermaid, and people still consider that movie a classic…
Tags: 1900s, 1940s, box office, Disney, films from the 1940s, films from the 20th century, movies, oz the great and powerful, retro movies, Turn of the 20th century movies, Turn of the Century movies, vintage movies, wizard of oz
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