Oz: The Great And Powerful Review

We're off to make the prequel---James Franco as a con artist turned wizard and Michelle Williams as a good witch in Oz: The Great And Powerful
                                                                           Oz: The Great And Powerful is not a great film by any means. It is, however, a true movie experience. Sure...it's not as magical an experience as the 1939 source material that inspired it but then again what is? This retelling of the great wizard who came to run Oz looks beautiful in 3D (in fact---it should not be seen in any other format) and is incredibly exciting---especially in the IMAX format. In other words---Oz: The Great And Powerful must be seen in a movie theater even if it's not the fantastic film some may have hoped.

                                                                             The film follows Oz (James Franco)---a con artist magician who is chased out of the carnival he works at. He wakes up in a mysterious, beautiful land and meets a witch named Theodora (Mila Kunis) whose sister, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) is the most wicked witch of them all. In order to stop Evanora---Oz seeks help from good witch Glinda (Michelle Williams.)

                                                                                The film starts out in glorious black and white as we get to see Oz as he is at the carnival. We then get a transition from black and white to visually stunning color. The 3D works wonders. The film not only makes effective use of the third dimension but also makes the film look even more stunning. Franco is perfect as the con artist---bringing the right mix of smugness and likability. Kunis, Weisz and Williams are all perfect in their roles although Williams has by far the best performance of the three. The film is exciting as the audience never knows what's going to happen next even as you may think you do. Also---the film is surprisingly funny. There are many moments in which I laughed out loud and was surprised that I was doing so. Lastly---the film's smart in the way it tells the story.

                                                                                 Sure---the film drags on for about 15 minutes too long and the pacing could have used some work. However, Oz: The Great And Powerful  must be seen to be believed and is also arguably the best film to see in theaters right now.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated PG for sequences of action and scary images and brief mild language)