Due to an extended business trip overseas, I was away during the time Oz the Great and Powerful premiered in the States. Finally the chance to see the film surfaced, and I jumped at the opportunity.
It's not the perfect film as much of the acting is slightly more than average. Rachel Weisz comes off the most successfully of the major characters, but James Franco does eventually win viewers over with his combination of goofy charm and all the slime-filled posturing worthy of a televangelist.
The real star of the film is the atmosphere created. Old Kansas in black and white perfectly sets the stage for what lies ahead. Once we finally see Oz, it is a glorious land of thrilling landscapes and amazing color and texture. Whether or not a recreation by the Disney Imagineers belongs in Disneyland is up for debate, but if done to the fullest, it would at least be a fantasyland come true.
I'll give the next film in the series a chance to be even better than this one, which could have been great. Clearly a "B" rated film in an "A" quality package. Worth a view on the big screen, however.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
I found it a nice diversion and wish I'd been able to see it in IMAX 3D (it had been changed out to GI Joe). James Franco won me over by the end, and I actually think I might enjoy it better on a subsequent viewing.
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