OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

I know, I know, I was supposed to write about outlines today. I'll post about that some other time. I'd rather talk about a really fun movie we got to go see a few weeks ago.

I had sort of seen this title and my brain just passed it by. It wasn’t something I knew anything about, or was excited to see. But when my dad told me it was worth seeing, well, I thought we should give it a try. Since we had a free babysitter lined up, I planned a date night for us and we went to see it.

This movie is truly charming. A marvelous romp.

Travel back to Oz (yes, as in, Dorothy and the Wizard of...) back to when the Wizard of Oz was only known about in a prophecy.

When Oz (Oscar Diggs), a magician/con-man/circus performer, is swept up in a hot air balloon and into a tornado... he never expects to land in a magical kingdom. Nor does he expect to find himself at the center of a prophecy... or be given a throne and a room full of treasure.

Only one thing stands in his way: an evil witch he must defeat, with a handful of peasants, a few munchkins, some tinkers, and one good witch.

I’ve always liked James Franco, but I’ve never seen him truly carry a movie before. He really pulls this one off. There were even moments where I forgot that I was watching James Franco - he really made me believe the character.

Complete with references to scarecrows, cowardly lions, the deadly sleeping poppy fields, munchkins, color changing horses, and the yellow brick road... this movie will transport you back to the first time you ever saw The Wizard of Oz. About the only thing it didn’t reference (that I can remember) is the Tin Man.

But don’t worry, there are plenty of new things to look forward to in this movie, as well. An adorably sweet china doll, the back-story of the Wicked Witch of the West, and how Oscar Diggs truly becomes the Wizard of Oz is all waiting for you in this new adventure.

A truly delightful film you can watch with the whole family. (Younger children may be scared of the flying monkeys...)