I
don't want to be a good man. I want to be a great one.
And
although this movie wants to be a great one, it winds up being, well, pretty
good. Director Sam Raimi,
best known for the first three Spider-Man
movies, starts things out right with an inspired black and white opening that
reveals Oz (James Franco) as a con artist magician.
The color opens up to
a wonderful world of awe: lavish colors, spectacular costumes, a clever China
Town, a dazzling Emerald City — and then the plot falls magically flat. Which
witch is the evil one? Which witch gives the blandest performance of them all? A
pre-story to the wizard is a great idea; it just didn’t work out here.
James Franco, my
favorite goof, is so modern, self aware and cynical that he actually forces the
annoying munchkins to stop singing. If there is any charm or innocence in this
movie, the great Oz probably faked it.
Simply
put: Not so great or powerful, but mildly entertaining
Award
potential: This Oz won’t be off
to see any Oscars. The effects and costumes are nice, but I bet 2013 will bring
stronger contenders in all the visual categories.
The ten
buck review: Not worth ten bucks.
