Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is nothing more than a Kansas showman. He calls himself Oz: The Great and Powerful, but he wants to be more than a humbug. While making a getaway in a hot-air balloon, Oscar goes straight into a tornado. Instead of dying, he finds himself in the Land of Oz.
In Oz, he meets the witch sisters Theodora (Mila Kunis) and Evanora (Rachel Weisz). They believe that he's the great Wizard who will save them all from the Wicked Witch. But that all goes upside down once he meets the "Wicked Witch:" Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams). Confronted with the real Wicked Witches, our "hero" has to put up a real fight.
As with the 1939 film, the first scenes in Kansas are in monochrome. It's also in 4:3 Academy ratio, the aspect ratio of the earlier film. Once Oz gets to Oz, the picture expands to widescreen in glorious technicolor. The credit for this feat goes to cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Robert Stromberg.
As the Wizard of Oz, Franco is a believable humbug who hates being a humbug. Among the supporting cast, the porcelain China Girl (Joey King) and Finley the Flying Monkey (Zach Braff) are likable digital creations. There's also an amusing cameo by Sam Raimi favorite Bruce Campbell as a Winkie Guard. Another fun cameo was the appearance of someone who was either the Cowardly Lion or an ancestor thereof.
It's in 3D and Flatscreen, but if you want to see it soon, see it on the big screen. At 130 minutes, it did feel long at parts, but it was mostly fun. And unlike Jack the Giant Slayer, it's also a lot more memorable. Perhaps its success will bring that other Oz prequel, Wicked, to the big screen.
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