It suffers from some tonal inconsistency and a deflated sense of wonder, but Oz the Great and Powerful still packs enough visual dazzle and clever wit to be entertaining in its own right. Read critic reviews
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Oz the Great and Powerful Photos
Movie Info
When shady circus magician Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is hurled away from Kansas into the wonderful land of Oz, he thinks that fame and fortune are his for the taking. However, three witches -- Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams) -- remain unconvinced that Oscar is the great wizard that the inhabitants of Oz need and expect. Reluctantly drawn into Oz's epic problems, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it's too late.
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Rating: PG (Scary Images|Brief Mild Language|Sequences of Action)
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Genre: Kids & family, Fantasy, Adventure
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Original Language: English
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Director: Sam Raimi
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Producer: Joe Roth
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Writer: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire
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Release Date (Theaters): wide
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $234.9M
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Walt Disney
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Production Co: Roth Films
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Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, SDDS, Dolby Atmos, Datasat
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Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)
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News & Interviews for Oz the Great and Powerful
Critic Reviews for Oz the Great and Powerful
Audience Reviews for Oz the Great and Powerful
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A fun and dazzling adaptation of a classic tale, Oz The Great and Powerful works as both a stand alone introduction as well as a prequel to the classic 1939 film - that only suffers from being somewhat overlong and a weak Mila Kunis performance.
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Sam Raimi's kitschy, mediocre $200 million dollar prequel to the beloved 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz." It re-imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's character of Oz, who was played by character actor Frank Morgan in the original classic, here the character has been changed, he is a shallow, selfish, womanizing small-town carnival magician named Oscar Diggs, played by a fatally miscast cast James Franco, who is hurled away by a twister from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz and the Emerald City, he thinks he's hit the jackpot with fame and a fortune in gold which are all his for the taking, that is until he meets three witches Theodora, Evanora, Ginda which are all well played by Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone's been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity and even a bit of wizardry Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but into a better man as well. There are innumerable disappointments in Raimi's film, beginning with his awkward direction, and the lame screenplay by Mitchell Kapner & David Lindsay-Abaire, which is filled with potholes, and then there is James Franco who's bland and superficial performance is all wrong for his character. The only saving grace is the film's ultra-expense CGI visual effects, some of which are quite impressive, they are designed to recall the cinematic magic of the 1939 classic motion picture. This is Walt Disney Studio's second attempt at trying to capture the magic of the original 1939 classic, in 1985 they release "Return to Oz" which was a mega-bomb at the box office and was also trashed by most critics. To be fair to this film it is mildly entertaining and some my enjoy it, but most will be let down by it, because this misfire is not exactly great or powerful. Recommended.
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In "Oz the Great and Powerful," Oscar Diggs(James Franco), a stage magician of little ability, makes a stunning escape just in front of a rampaging mob in Kansas in 1905 in a balloon. The bad news is that he flies right into the middle of a tornado... ...and out the other side into magical land where he eventually lands somewhat roughly. There he is rescued by Theodora(Mila Kunis) who also fills him in on where he is and of the prophecy he might play a large part of. Trying to follow a beloved classic movie with a prequel already is quite a challenge for filmmakers.(Not to mention the fact that "Wicked" is supposed to be really good.) But then "Oz the Great and Powerful" does itself no favors with its extended prologue, overreliance on CGI and miscasting, especially James Franco, who while with "True Story" proved he can play a shady character, does not have the chops to play the showman part of his character, unlike say Bruce Campbell who has a brief cameo here. Overall, this simply comes off as flat, uninspired and surprisingly slow.
walter m Super Reviewer -
So much effort was spent on making the surroundings look lovely, so why did the costuming and the special effects look so cheap? Especially Theodora and Glinda's outfits were horrible. The acting left a lot to be desired as well, Rachel Weisz and Bill Cobbs probably being the only ones who didn't make me cringe.
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