Oz the Great and Powerful

On $5 Wednesday, I took Rebekah (12) and Leah (9) to see Oz, the Great and Powerful. The movie stars several actors of whom I am not exactly a huge fan. The exception to that is Rachel Weisz who has been pretty amazing in anything I've ever seen her in. To be honest, I didn't really have my expectations set very high.

I was pleasantly surprised!

I love to hear my Rebekah laugh. It is a full-bodied guffaw and it is one of my many deep joys to hear. Her laughter resonated throughout the theatre on many occasions. Leah enjoyed the movie too. On the ride home, we all agreed that it was well worth seeing.

Visually, the movie is stunning. Starting in black and white and moving to explosive color with the arrival in Oz...I felt like I had just a little glimpse at what audiences in 1939 experienced with the original movie version of The Wizard of Oz.

One thing that I realized about an hour after seeing the movie was that the special effects didn't blow me away. They almost seemed childish for our modern, sophisticated taste. But what struck me is that whether it was his intention or not, I say "kudos" to the director (Sam Raimi) for the vision to hold back. Here's why: Nothing frustrates me more with a "prequel" than when the effects are 500 times better than the original movie (or movies). Take Star Wars, for example. Obviously, technology had advanced by canyon-sized leaps and bounds from 1977, the year Star Wars: A New Hope first knocked our socks off, until the prequel trilogy kicked off in 1999 with Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The current return to Star Trek is yet another example. I applaud the director's decision to hold back and make this movie appear like it "could have" truly happened prior to Dorothy Gale's house dropping down upon one of the unsuspecting evil sisters.

I know my Abbey will always prefer the Wicked version of the Oz back story, but I happen to like this one. James Franco, as the wizard, carries the movie well. With the support of the talented Zach Braff, as well as, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams...the nap I thought I might get in, never occurred.

At a rating of PG, this is a movie for the whole family to enjoy. If you haven't seen it yet, it will probably be heading to your local second-run theatre soon and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen. I think this is one movie that much of the spectacular visuals will be lost on a smaller one.