Disney's 2013 movie Oz the Great and Powerful is available on Disney Plus (Disney+), and I watched it this weekend. I had read a couple of iffy reviews about the movie, but I'm a sucker for big movies with awesome special effects, and this film paid off. Also, I'm not sure what people were complaining about, because it was really great! There are many very good, well-known actors in it--James Franco plays "the wizard", and Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Bill Cobb and Zach Braff do a wonderful job in their roles, as well.
This film is written to be the "prequel" to the 1939 original The Wizard of Oz. It answers the questions we all had as kids when we first saw the movie--how did the wizard get to Oz in the first place? How did he, a regular man, end up in such a powerful position? How did the people of Oz deal with having witches flying around the country? All these questions get answered, and we also get a chance to meet the Wicked Witch of the East, the sister who got smashed flat by Dorothy's house at the start of the original movie.
The makers of this movie have done a great job referencing the original, from the starts-off-black-and-white-and-changes-to-color effect to more subtle things, such as having the actors play dual roles of characters both in the real world and in the land of Oz. Disney also cracks me up by doing a little SELF-referencing: watch for the poisoned apple!
All in all, it's a great film for the family. It enhances the experience to have seen the original movie, but it's a great stand-alone film. Ali approves!
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