Oz The Great and Powerful Review (in Theaters Today! 3/8/13)

 

I had the extreme pleasure of viewing Oz The Great and Powerful and being able to share my thoughts with you all!

First thing is first, here's the synopsis provided to me:
 
Disney’s fantastical adventure “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum’s beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot—fame and fortune are his for the taking—that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity—and even a bit of wizardry—Oscar transforms himself not only into the great wizard but into a better man as well.

I love The Wizard of Oz and couldn't wait to see the prequel with some of my favorite actors of today.  Oz The Great and Powerful starts out very reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, in black in white, and the audience is introduced to Oscar, the magician, at a travelling circus in Kansas.  Once Oscar is whisked away via tornado to a bright and beautiful world we see the land in full screen and the vivid colors are played up and wonderful in 3D.  The graphics and background are so visually beautiful- perfectly matching what I think of when I think of the Land of Oz and Emerald City. 

I'll avoid spoiling the story and stick to my thoughts on the movie in a general way.  The story was very interesting and I loved the tie ins and reminders of The Wizard of Oz.  I was happy this was it's own story but felt it was necessary to include some reminiscent moments to the old classic and I love they way it was done.

Again, without giving anything away, it was so interesting to find out more about these characters I have come to know from the many many times I've watched The Wizard of Oz.  I had many "Ah-Ha!" and "Oooh!" moments...Also, Zach Braff (Frank/Finnley) had some laugh out loud moments and I found myself wanting to hear more from Finnley! 

Oz the Great and Powerful was fantastic and the cast was wonderful. Visually this movie was so impressive; I saw it in 3D and would encourage you to splurge the extra couple bucks and watch it that way. This kind of movie is meant for 3D! It does have dark moments but they are mixed in with humor; I definitely think children would enjoy the story and the effects. It's got a good message and might be a fun family outing. I know Jelly Bean is so excited to see it and I'm more than happy to see it again! 

***Disclaimer: I recieved entry into the prescreening of this movie in exchange for my 100% honest opinions. If you have more questions regarding this please check out: http://www.lovinglifeandlivingonless.com/p/disclosure-and-policies.html