Movie Review: Oz the Great and Powerful

Thanks to Nuffnang, Abenson and Nokia, I was able to catch a blocked movie screening of "Oz the Great and Powerful" at Shangri-La Plaza Mall last night, and... Wow. Was I blown away! In a nutshell, the movie was OZ-some *pardon the corny pun* :p

via Wikipedia

I wasn't sure what to expect from "Oz" and didn't get my hopes up after getting disappointed by "Jack the Giant Slayer" last week, but there is nothing that I would change about this movie.

Sam Raimi directed the movie superbly and no other powerhouse but Disney could have brought this much magic onto the screen. I was blown away by the graphics and the beauty of the landscapes and... everything. Just everything. I don't have any other words to describe it, but that: magical.

via Cult Hub

To be perfectly honest, I fell in love with the movie right from the beginning. Maybe it had something to do with my intense love for James Franco. Maybe it had to do with me missing JD from "Scrubs" so much. Maybe it had to do with the childhood-me wanting to be Jen Williams from "Dawson's Creek" when she grew up. Maybe it had something to do with my fascination with traveling circuses, the magic of illusions and fantasy worlds. I'm not sure. But "Oz" captivated me from beginning to end.

via Nerd Bastards

Now, I completely agree that James Franco's take on comedy isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I love him. I love everything about him, so I loved the light humor of the movie. But what I loved the most was the inside look into what Oz's life was actually like before he became the Wizard of Oz. I also love the morals behind the story and the many inspirational quotes that the movie eventually threw our way, such as "If you believe, nothing is impossible." (Naks!)

via Filmofilia

I also loved the supporting characters a lot and for the first time in my life, I actually want to own a china doll. <3 Which is strange to say because I've never been the girly girl type to want a doll of any sort. Aside from Barbies, anyway.

via Collider

The witches were perfectly cast, as well. Even though I wasn't entirely sure of the Mila Kunis casting in the beginning because she didn't really convince me with her acting and especially not with her voice, they all fit their roles perfectly in the end. :)

WARNING - SPOILER (highlight to read): I originally thought that they should have changed Mila Kunis' voice after she turned into the wicked witch; but thinking back on the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz", she did sound like her, so the high pitchy voice of hers actually fit.

via Perez Hilton

I loved that "Oz the Great and Powerful" didn't turn out to be a remake of "The Wizard of Oz" - one of my favorite movies as a child. I loved that it became what it was all on its own. I love that it was inspirational. And I love that it didn't try to be anything like "The Wizard of Oz" at all. In fact, there was only one song in it, and it was even cut short.

As mentioned before, in all of my corniness, "Oz the Great and Powerful" was OZ-some and is definitely worth the 3D watch on the big screen. 4.5 stars out of 5.