Z/Web

I was cautious about this, as I’m not really a Wizard of Oz fan. It’s supposedly a classic (both the movie and the books), but I never found them very compelling. (They’re not bad; just not my cup of tea.)

This version is a prequel, telling how the Wizard of Oz ends up in Oz. It opens in black-and-white square format in Kansas at a carnival. Oz is a con man and struggling magician there. Once he gets whisked off to the land of Oz, we go to widescreen color.

I loved that. In fact, I loved just about everything about this movie: the direction, the sets, the characters, the story, the cast. Almost everything is wonderful. I wasn’t too crazy about the casting of James Franco as the wizard; he seems too tall and too good looking, though he is good as the charming con artist, and he grew on me after a while. Everyone else is flawless, except Mila’s character’s transformation is a bit abrupt (it’s clumsily done, though there is magic involved, but I don’t like thinking that magic can transform a person so completely).

My favorite thing is what some people don’t like: the story. I was afraid this would end up being like most Hollywood fair, overly complicated and exaggerated, with subplots of subplots, but they were smart and kept the story simple and elegant. That means it’s a little predictable, but I didn’t mind that a bit. The wonder comes from the exotic setting, the magic and special effects, fun characters, and the excellent direction. The story itself is bare bones and simple, a tale of a con artist who redeems himself. I’m sure kids will love it.

My favorite character is the little china girl with the broken legs who blatantly tugs the heartstrings throughout the film. (There’s wonderful echoes of her character with a girl in a wheelchair in Kansas at the carnival; both are performed by the same actress, though the doll is digital.) It might be obvious, but it’s well-done, and heart-warming, and helps make the film.

It’s hard to say how this ranks compared to the original. My feelings on that are very complicated. Part of that’s because I’m not sure if I’ve ever really seen it from start to finish. I know I have, but my memories are so mixed up with all the clips and excerpts I’ve seen on TV at various times that it’s hard to me to have a full and complete picture of the movie. I know I didn’t like various aspects of it (i.e. the musical aspects, some of the cheesy scenes, some of the actors, etc.), and I’d much rather see Oz again than see Wizard. But it’s hard to say if I’d still feel that way ten or twenty years from now. This could end up dated quickly.

But history aside, right now this is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderful film. It’s fun, interesting, and utterly wholesome (except for a hint of sleazy innuendo by the con artist). I really enjoyed it.