Director Sam Raimi
Staring James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz
Rated PG
Score 4/6

When small-time magician Oscar Diggs pulls one flimflam too many, he is hurled into the fantastical Land of Oz, where he must somehow transform himself into the great and powerful Wizard – and just maybe into a better man as well.

It was nice to see that Oz the Great and Powerful seemed to stay true to the spirit of the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, by most notably switching from black and white to colour when the story transitioned from Kansas to Oz. I also enjoyed the “Classic Hollywood” feel that the opening and closing credits gave to the movie watching experience.
At first watching Franco’s performance as OZ was a little over the top to the point of being slapped around with a wet trout. However, by the end of the movie it was clear that if Franco had of given anything less it would not have been enough.
I have to wonder if the “conventional” print of the Oz the Great and Powerful was an afterthought as the movie had some of the 3D screen clichés.
Filmmakers who continue to dabble with 3D filmmaking when it is clear that they do not possess the skills to make a film that is actually watchable in 3D need to be taken aside and given a master class in 3D filmmaking. This needs to happens or these 3D Cinematic Cowboys will kill the current age of 3D movies.
But hey let’s be realistic as visually spectacular as the technology has gotten it is still not true 3D.