There are many things in life I have always wanted to do. One of those
things stems from my childhood, from a movie that just about everyone has seen.
That thing was to take a walk down the yellow brick road. I know the land of Oz
is not real, but it just seems like a place everyone should visit. I think my
desire comes from the happiness I felt every time I watched “The Wizard of Oz”,
it just seems like such a wonderful and magical place. Well we all get to be
off again, to see what Oz brings us in a time before Dorothy.
Oz (James
Franco) is a magician who travels with a circus. He is a trickster in every
sense of the word. He uses his charm to fool people in believing his magic is
real or convincing an attractive lady that she is the only one. Everything
starts to change for Oz when he is caught in a storm, and that storm takes him
to a place that is not Kansas. After landing, the first person he comes across
is Theodora (Mila Kunis) who tells Oz he is the great Wizard they have been
waiting for. Instead of denying it, he says that he is the Wizard, after he is
told of the kingdom that awaits his rule. Theodora takes him the Emerald City
where Oz meets Evanora (Rachel Weisz), Theodora’s sister and the keeper of the
throne that awaits the Wizard. Evanora sends Oz to kill a witch named Glinda
(Michelle Williams), only then can he be King of Oz. Along the way Oz finds out
who the wicked witch really is, and who he is as well.
When you have to follow up such an adored
classic like “The Wizard of Oz”, the chances of you doing anything better are
slim. Just because the story is out there, doesn’t mean you have to make a
movie of it. Writers Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire saw something
that they thought they could bring to the big screen. The good thing is the
movie looks really good, something we can thank director Sam Raimi for. He takes full advantage of the 3-D. Unfortunately
for Oz, looks are not everything.
There were a few actors who were up for the part of Oz,
who did not take it, and you are left with the feeling like you got the second
choice. Not anything against James Franco, I just think he didn’t fit the role.
The same thing can be said for Kunis, who just doesn’t seem like the best
choice for her role. This trip just
can’t compare to the first time. Raimi does his best to make a decent movie,
but it was just not meant to be. I wish they had not tried to tell this story,
because sometimes the best stories play better in our imagination than they do
anywhere else. If you choose to want to take a trip down the yellow brick road,
watch the original, you will be a lot happier than any trip you could take now.
No comments:
Post a Comment