PG, 130 min.
Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: Mitchell Kapner,
David Lindsay Abaire, L. Frank Baum (“Oz” works)
Starring: James Franco,
Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King,
Tony Cox
It’s funny how movies will
succeed and fail in the same moment. “Oz the Great and Powerful” shared amazing
success at the box office and surprising backlash and disappointment critically
when it was released in March of 2013. It was accused of being a visual
extravaganza, which it was, but why didn’t critics see that’s not all it was?
I gave the movie a glowing
review but felt all alone in the endeavor. Often when that is the case, I find
later that I was mistaken and had just been caught up in the hype or the
visuals or some element I hadn’t expected going into the movie. When I look at
the film a little later down the line, I’ll often find that I’m not as
impressed with it upon a second viewing. This is not the case with “Oz the Great
and Powerful”. In fact, I think I liked it even a little better than I did the
first time.
Sam Raimi fills his retro-prequel
with a Marvel film’s worth of references. By replicating film and acting styles
from the 1930s, he makes a modern special effects film that might jar audiences
and critics alike. He includes references to early film developments and
developers and even different films and genres throughout the years. His
screenplay, by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay Abaire, is not just a clothesline
for special effects sequences or even Raimi’s film references, by it has a
brain and a heart, just like the Scarecrow and the Tin Man. It is a wonderful
film that deserves a second chance.
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