Oz the Great and Powerful

I suspect that most of us are probably familiar with the original Wizard of Oz movie from 1939. If not, then perhaps it is time to brush up on your pop culture knowledge. I hope that even those who haven't seen the film are aware that it was the first color film. The story was of course first a book, and then a Broadway musical before it became a movie. The interesting thing about the new film Oz the Great and the Powerful is that it takes a look at what happened before the Wizard of Oz. Of course other stories have done this, such as Wicked, but this particular one is about the mysterious wizard himself.

I really enjoyed that this movie covered most of the important elements which are found in the original book and movie versions. For instance, the beginning of the movie takes place in Kansas and as with the 1939 film, is in black and white until the character arrives in the land of Oz. While it certainly doesn't hold  the shock and awe factor that it did in 1939 when the film switched to color for the first time ever, I'm glad that this new film retained that feature since it makes the land of Oz seem even more mystical somehow. Besides this there are of course appearances by many familiar character such as the three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams). There are also scenes with the flying monkeys or baboons, the munchkins and many of the famous Oz landmarks such as the poppy field and the Emerald City. Of course one can't leave out the wizard Oz played by James Franco since he gets to be the one the story is about this time around.

Overall I enjoyed the film Oz the Great and Powerful, a lot. I felt that it provided a new and unique take on a familiar story. Really, it just seemed like a film that was lots of fun for the whole family. I recommend this to anyone, and if you haven't seen the original Wizard of Oz, you should consider watching that first, not because it is necessary to the story, but just because you are missing out if you haven't.

-Lynx