By Sienna Mata

 

Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how the “Wizard of Oz” got to Oz, and what it took to become the all powerful wizard he was when Dorothy got there.

This epic tale is a prequel to the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Both take place in the mystical land of Oz created by Frank L. Baum throughout 14 books. And as far as adaptations go, it’s a pretty good movie.

This movie was directed by Sam Raimi, who directed the Spiderman movies that featured Tobey Maguire. James Franco played Oz, Michelle Williams played Glinda, both names which were heard in “The Wizard of Oz.” Mila Kunis plays Theodora, and Rachel Weisz plays her sister Evanora. All displayed very good acting.

In this adaptation of the well-known story, not only does the viewer learn the backstory of the Wizard, he or she also learns why the Wicked Witch of the West became so evil. In this story, the audience is also introduced to new characters, such as Finley the flying monkey, and Little China Girl. Much in the style of the film, “The Wizard of Oz,” the film starts off black and white and then turns full color once the characters reach Oz.

This film started off a bit slow, then once it got to Oz it became a bit overwhelming. The viewer starts to learn all sorts of information in a short period of time, and it’s quite a bit to process. Besides these points, the movie is actually quite good,

it has an exciting storyline that’s sure to keep the viewer interested, and some great visual effects. It also has some jokes that had all the audience laughing, a couple of tear jerking moments, and also some romance.

Overall, though the movie wasn’t perfect, it was pretty good, and included something for everyone. This movie is 3 out of 5 stars and is still showing at Cinemark Tinseltown and Cinemark Cielo Vista.