Task 37 - Oz The Great and Powerful

Task 37 - Watch a movie starting with every letter of the alphabet.
I recently went and saw Oz The Great and Powerful 3D at the Imax in Natick and have mixed feelings about if I liked it.

It started in black and white, set in a dusty mid western town and chronicled the life of a traveling circus magician (James Franco) who dreamed of greatness but was nothing more than a womanizing con artist. After wooing one too many girls he find himself being chased by the circus strong man who wants his head. As he narrowly escapes the clutches of that dangerous situation he finds himself in another as he escapes in hot air balloon that is being pulled directly into the vortex of a menacing tornado. 

The black and white fades to color as he returns to consciousness in the world of Oz. While the colors and beauty of the world of Oz were well done this is where the movie lost its appeal . After crash landing he meets Theodora (Mila Kunis) who explains to Oz his destiny as the wizard and would be king who will save the people of Oz defeat the evil witch that she and her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) are protecting.

After his grand entrance and introduction he is sent to kill Galinda (Michele Williams) in order to fulfill his destiny in order to be king as he was instructed by Evanora. Along his way to break Galinda’s wand he comes upon the broken china town. With the addition of the China Doll they continue on and find Galinda in a cemetery where he discovers that Galinda is not the evil witch but rather the last glimmer of hope for the people of Oz. Enraged by his fascination with Galinda Theodora is conned by the real evil witch to eat an apple which turns her green. Together they seek to destroy boy Galinda and Oz to finalize their control.

The acting by all 4 main characters seems primitive and hardly believable. Instead the corny commentary distracts from the story and leaves its viewers disappointed. The quirkiness of Oz distracts rather then adds to the appeal of the story. It just felt all too playful but perhaps it was my fault expecting a little more adult storyline. Sure, everything on screen is colorful, and the special effects are often beautiful to look at (especially during the film’s climax). But there’s nothing else about Oz that really hooked me in. Somewhere between that first hot air balloon ride and the film’s decent final moments, I nodded off as I learned about witches, talking monkeys, china dolls, and a quest to free the land of Oz from an evil witch’s curse.

This one for me was a disappointment and a waste of 13$.