In 2013, Sam Raimi is coming drag me to Hellfollowed by his dreadful return spider man Trilogy – A Trip Over the Rainbow oz The Great and PowerfulAn unofficial prequel to the 1939s the Wizard of Ozlike the 1985s return to australia This is its unofficial sequel, oz The Great and Powerful Focuses on its title character. It imagines the backstory of the mysterious ruler of the Emerald City and how he came to power after making a mistake there.
So, in other words, it’s not the opposite Wicked And Wicked: for goodBringing a new perspective to a familiar story by exploring the life of someone named Dorothy. The trickiest, most obvious problem here comes with the casting of James Franco as con artist and carnival magician Oscar Diggs, who is swept into Oz when his hot air balloon becomes entangled with a tornado.
Little did Raimi know that Franco would face trouble off-screen a few years later ounceRelease of. In the early 2010s, she co-starred in Rhymes spider man Received Oscar nominations for films 127 hoursand titled the franchise reboot rise of the Planet of the Apesamong his many credits. But allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against the actor; According to Variety, a lawsuit filed in 2019 was settled in 2021. Amidst the controversies, he distanced himself from Hollywood and his career never reached the same heights as before.
Showbiz is full of artists and creators who have lost their dignity for reasons ranging from bizarre to actually criminal. And how you view the work of Woody Allen or Johnny Depp (or Jared Leto, JK Rowling, Ezra Miller, Armie Hammer, Roman Polanski… the list is long) is a personal choice. You may not be bothered by their actions in any way. Maybe you can temporarily separate the art from the artist. Or maybe your emotions are so strong that they interfere with enjoying what you’re watching.
oz The Great and Powerful There’s an unfortunate meta-text associated with this, in which Oscar – Oz for short – is written as a complete creep who uses his abundant charm to woo every girl he comes across. She has a whole routine that is frankly irresistible; In fact, the reason she fled Kansas is because one of her conquests was with a circus strongman, who is clearly willing to turn his back on the situation.
Once he crashes in Oz – after a thrilling whirlwind sequence that’s full of jump-scare moments that remind you of Raimi, who created evil deadMaking Decisions—Our aspiring Houdini meets Theodora (Mila Kunis). Based on visible evidence and her own naivety, the doe-eyed witch assumes Oscar is him. The great wizard that the entire population has been waiting for is destined to take over the recently vacated throne of Australia.
Because the Oscars Have No Moral Guidelines – That’s the Thing oz The Great and Powerful This is so he can develop it, although he needs a lot of help to do so – and he appears to be the only attractive man walking down the yellow brick road, easily attracting Theodora.
We know he’s going to break her heart; There’s also his past behavior to consider, and he turns away and turns away when she starts talking about being together forever. She is completely blindsided when he abandons her, and her heartbreak turns horrifying when her more worldly sister (Rachel Weisz as Evanora) uses a sinister spell to transform Theodora into the person we immediately recognize as the Wicked Witch of the West.
Obviously this is not the original story that makes it Wicked l. Such an uplifting and feminist reimagining of Frank Baum’s extraordinary villain. Things take a turn for the worse when the new green-skinned Witch of Oz spies on Oz to meet Glinda (Michelle Williams), the Good Witch of the South, a glowing benevolent spirit who resembles the blonde farm girl who got under Oz’s skin in Kansas.
After all, green is the color of jealousy. But the film’s choice to turn Theodora into an angry avenger is essential to moving the plot forward; Evanora is able to maintain her gorgeous facade until the evil is defeated, at which point the arrogance within her also overpowers her. oz The Great and Powerful Of course, let them both live, because the (good) people of Australia aren’t allowed to kill each other, and also because that’s when we need two witches. the Wizard of Oz The plot picks up a few years later.
However, even if you erase James Franco from your mind and pretend there’s a different handsome face playing the Oscar in his place, oz The Great and Powerful There’s another important point that is both important to the film and also incredibly disappointing. As Wizard of Oz As fans well know, the Wizard has no powers. He uses stagecraft and gadgets to fool people, at least until Toto literally blows the lid off him in the climax of the 1939 film.
And oz The Great and Powerful It features some excellent sequences showcasing Oz’s sleight of hand, as well as his Thomas Edison-inspired inventions – which the Munchkins and other good guys help him create – which help him create illusions and ultimately defeat the witch sisters. Simplicity beats magic! This is thrilling until you think about all the times Glinda used Real Spell to stop other witches from doing something terrible their Magic, and makes you wonder why Oz (the world) is so invested in Oz (the man).
Granted, they still need his charisma and ideas to guide them to victory, which is somewhat understandable. But why can’t people trust Glinda, with all her fog banks and giant bubbles?
Of course, the movie is called oz The Great and PowerfulSo you have to make that character the focal point, even if the movie is actually of the same name the Wizard of Oz Actually it’s not about that at all. But the idea still feels unnecessary and a little depressing that a land essentially caught in a power struggle between two women – three, once Theodora realizes her power – is waiting for a male wizard to come and take the throne.
That reductive (if necessary, for continuity’s sake) story point is almost as disturbing as the James Franco factor. And that’s really too bad, because oz The Great and Powerful In fact it’s a very fun movie in almost every other aspect. It’s clearly made with a lot of love the Wizard of OzWith the added joy of seeing Raimi’s signature Easter eggs (yes, that’s Bruce Campbell as one of Evanora’s soldiers) sprinkled around.
Although the 2013-era special effects are clearly outdated by now, they’re still effective oz The Great and PowerfulColorful whimsy, creating the world of Oz we know from the 1939 film – but in a way that feels true to the material, not in any scary way. the Wizard of OzFunky change for Sphere. With lush, obviously green-screened, backgrounds and production design, including a china doll voiced by Joey King and a nice-guy flying monkey (as opposed to the evil army of winged baboons) voiced by Jack Braff, CG characters feel almost as fleshed out as Glinda as they lead Oz toward a less toxic existence.
As Wicked: for good is set to hit theaters, and the Las Vegas spectacle continues AI’s reign of terror, the Wizard of Oz Has planted its flag for the new generation of viewers. oz The Great and Powerful exists, and it’s not an unpleasant way to spend a couple of hours. But if there is a desire to go further cinematically, we suggest return to australia-A deeply unsettling and distorted form of that land over the rainbow in all the best ways – rather than as an extension of it.
You can stream both oz The Great and Powerful And return to australia On Disney+.
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