Taiylor Hofbauer
The beautiful land of Oz is brought to life in “Oz the Great and Powerful,” the prequel to –you guessed it – “The Wizard of Oz.” The adaptation is directed by Sam Raimi, who has done other movies, like “For Love of the Game”, all three “Spider-Man” movies, and “Drag Me to Hell.” The main characters of “Oz the Great and Powerful” are Oscar, also known as Oz, played by James Franco; Theodora, played by Mila Kunis; Evanora, played by Rachel Weisz; and Glinda, played by Michelle Williams.
The movie begins with the con-artist Oscar preparing for one of his shows with his assistant Frank. When the show begins, he doesn’t hold back while showing all of his nifty tricks that seem to please the audience until a young girl in a wheelchair, played by Joey King, is so convinced of his magical powers that she asks Oscar to make her walk again. When he can’t do what she wishes, the crowd riots. Oz hides away in his trailer where he meets with Annie, a woman he truly seems to care for, but cannot be with. But it ends all too quickly when an angry fellow circus performer chases Oscar into a hot air balloon while the storm rolls in.
The hot air balloon and Oscar are whisked away to Oz, where he meets the three witches, Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda. Theodora is immediately interested in him once she is convinced that he is the wizard they’ve been waiting for, hoping to be his queen, while Evanora and Glinda aren’t as persuaded. Glinda knows that Oscar isn’t the mighty and powerful wizard they’d been hoping for, but she knows that he is enough to work with. Evanora, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with him conning ways.
There are quite a few similarities that stand out between “The Wizard of Oz” and “Oz the Great and Powerful.” When both “Oz” movies begin, Kansas is portrayed in black and white, while the magnificent world, Oz, is beautiful and brightly-colored. Of course, the resolution in the 2013 “Oz” is much clearer, unlike the gritty, Technicolor original. The 2013 “Oz” is not only a bubbly and munckin-filled film, but it is much darker. The flying monkeys that wore bell hop suits in “The Wizard of Oz” are replaced by frightening winged baboons with razor sharp teeth.
Another similarity is the connection of the characters between Kansas and Oz. In “The Wizard of Oz,” the men that worked on the farm in Kansas resembled the Lion, Tin Man, and the Scarecrow that lived in Oz. Actors Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, and Joey King play two characters in “Oz the Great and Powerful.” Williams portrays Glinda the Good Witch and Annie, who is the woman that Oscar cares for, but cannot be with, in Kansas; Braff plays Frank, Oscar’s assistant, and Finley, the monkey who carries Oscar’s suitcase all through Oz; and King plays the young girl in a wheelchair and the china doll whose legs are broken. The parallels between the characters are obvious without knowing it’s the same actor. Oz almost provides Franco’s character another chance to prove his goodness.
“Oz the Great and Powerful” is executed so well that it doesn’t seem like a copycat to “The Wizard of Oz.” It only offers a little familiarity between the two films. “Oz” is a movie for children and adults with its witty humor, imaginative scenery, and the battle scene at the end – not to mention all the bits and pieces that really connect the two movies (like why Oz hides behind a curtain or where the Wicked Witch came from)!