`Oz - the Great and the Powerful,' in case you don't know, is a prequel to the classic Wizard of Oz film of the 1930s, showing how the wizard himself got to the magical land and his encounters with the witches before Dorothy squashed one and doused the other.
My hopes weren't high when I went in to see this. Maybe that's the key to enjoying it - don't expect too much. My theories of prequels and re-envisionings is based on film companies trying to cash in on popular franchises and trying to squeeze that last bit of cash out of them.However, Oz actually works. It seems that some thought has actually been put into making up a genuinely new story which wasn't touched upon by what you've already seen.
I thought it was a great film which actually adds to the `Oz legend' rather than cashes in on it. It's got just the right mixture of humour, adventure, new quirky characters and menacing threat (but not too menacing, as it's pretty suitable for any child who enjoys fairytales).
It's not all perfect, there are some minor grumps. First of all, some aspects of the much-loved tale are owned by a different company who made this film, therefore popular aspects, such as the ruby slippers have been omitted. Plus there's too much computer-generated scenery. The backgrounds, while nice, look pretty unreal and you can tell what's a set and what's a green screen (think Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland). Plus some people have criticised Mila Kunis, saying she was brought in more for her star power, rather than her ability as an actress.
But these are all minor gripes. If you can ignore them and put your heart and soul into this movie, then you should feel right at home in a magical land where little people sing at the drop of a hat (there's only one - half - song this time).
Enjoy it (and, for Bruce Campbell fans - watch out for his cameo, courtesy of his friend and director, Sam Raimi).
8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one
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