As the film opens we meet Oscar Diggs (James Franco) a small-time magician and con artist who works as a performer in a traveling circus. He is also a womanizer who tricks women by giving them a music box which he claims to have belonged to his dead grandmother, though in reality he has quite a stockpile of them. With his assistant Frank (Zach Braff), Oscar does a magic show where he mesmerizes the audience, but he is revealed to be a fraud when he is unable to heal a young girl (Joey King) who is unable to walk. Soon after Annie (Michelle Williams), the woman Oscar is genuinely be in love with, visits the circus to tell him that another man has proposed to her. Oscar, caring for her and realizing that he is a bad man, tells her she should accept.
As a storm approaches the circus, the circus strongman (Tim Holmes) attacks Oscar after finding the music boxes he had given to his girlfriend. Oscar escapes in a hot air balloon with his top hat and a sack of supplies but is sucked into a tornado. As the balloon breaks apart, Oscar promises God that if he survives he will become a better man.
Oscar finds himself in the land of Oz. The witch Theodora (Mila Kunis) finds him and explains she believes he fulfills the prophecy after he does a few simple magic tricks It was for told that a great and powerful wizard by the name of Oz would descend from the sky, save the land, and become their new king. The duo follow the Yellow Brick Road to the capital--Emerald City. During the trip, Oz gives Theodora a music box; she has clearly fallen in love with him but he rebuffs such commitment. The duo encounter Finley (voiced by Braff), a flying monkey. Oscar saves him from a lion using magical illusion. Finley pledges a life debt to Oscar.
In the Emerald City, another witch (Rachel Weisz) Evanora guards the throne until the prophecy wizard arrives. She is skeptical of Oscar being the wizard, but claims he can have all the power and wealth of the king if he kills the evil Glinda (Williams) by stealing and destroying her wand, the source of her power.
As Oscar and Finley travel to the Forbidden Forest, they see smoke coming from "China Town", where the inhabitants are all made of porcelain. Everyone is dead save for a young, un-named girl whose legs are broken (voiced by King). Oscar fixes her legs with glue. She explains that the bad witch destroyed the city with her flying baboons because they celebrated Oscar's arrival to the land of Oz.
The trio continue to make their way to the Forbidden Forest to find Glinda...
Since the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by author L. Frank Baum is in the public domain, writers Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire, could use anything established in that book. However, they could not use any of the changes depicted in the Warner Bros. 1939 classic film such as Dorothy's ruby slippers..The script hits all of the expected beats that are almost "required" in a film like this--hero loses way presented with a task and the odds stacked against him must summon courage and fortitude to beat the evil around him.
Raimi nods the classic film by filming the first reel in black and white; Several characters we meet in Kansas will take form as someone else in the technicolorful land of Oz--And the final confrontation uses a big callback from the classic film.Given the nature of the story--once the action shifts to Oz the CGI candy is on full display--working best for our first glimpse and the big finale. Is it overkill with the effects? I say no. Others will disagree.
One quick aside to parents reading this--even though ads warn that some scenes may be too intense for some kids in the PG rated film--I was surprised by just how intense the action got-The Motion Picture Association of America usually rates stuff like this PG-13 but whateves.
Braff's monkey provides the film's comic relief--Williams is fine as Glinda--Weisz is perfect as Evanora--The witch with the plan. My favorite character? King's delicate yet tough China Doll was the best realized on screen through CG and vocal talent.
When the script for "Great & Powerful" was making the rounds Robert Downey Jr was eyed for the Wizard role--he declined and then Raimi turned to his Spider-Man Trilogy co-star to fill the vacancy...Franco seemed to relish the chance...Sorry to say the end result seemed very uneven. Some sequences he came across as just there while other times he was fine. RDJ woulda most likely been more consistent. The biggest disappointment for me though as a fan was Kunis who seemed really miscast considering Theodora's arc. A real letdown.
In the end I still think this latest trip to Oz is worthwhile and not quite the disaster others make it out to be. And hey a sequel is already in the works
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