Prequel to Wizard of Oz….

 Oz the Great and Powerful …. IS SOOOOO NOT great and powerful. Well its Disney …what do you expect? I have to admit the graphics, CGI, colors, cinematography was really good (except for the constant camera panning in and out…argh…that gave me a total headache). The movie featured James Franco as the Wizard, Mila Kunis as Theodora (later to be wicked witch of the west in the Wizard of Oz), Michelle Williams as Glinda (later to be wicked witch of the north), & Rachel Weisz as Evanora (later to be wicked witch of the east). I have to admit that as much as I thought the script was really weak for Oz, it did give a lot of insight to the 1939 Wizard of Oz film. For example, when Theodora cried and her tears burned her face. Now that was great a link to why the Wicked Witch of the West was afraid of water. Wizard of Oz never explained that. Lets just say all my questions I had about Wizard of Oz when I was a little girl was answered after watching this film. Although the storyline of Oz wasnt the best, as least now I feel satisfied to the Wizard of Oz. It all makes sense now. I think the best scene of this film was when Mila Kunis transformed into the Wicked Witch of the West. If you get nothing out of this movie, at least that is one scene that is worth your dollars.

As for the acting of this movie, I guess for the script that the actors had to work with, they did the best they could to make this film bearable.

Whoops…did I forget to tell you what this movie is about? Ok …so for those of you who are too young to have seen the 1939 Wizard of Oz, this movie is basically a prequel to that movie. James Franco plays this Wizard in a circus in Kansas City but he’s really a con-man who uses magic to trick people’s money and trick some innocent hearts. Franco one day gets chased down by a jealous boyfriend and he finds himself jumping into a hot air balloon. Before you know it, he’s getting whisked into the sky and blown toward a huge tornado. Once in the heart of the tornado, Franco is face with death but luckily he is thrown into the land of Oz. The land of Oz is under oppression as Evanora has killed her father, the King of Emerald City, and has enslaved the people of Oz to do as she says. Meanwhile, her younger sister Theodora is still under the impression that Evanora is doing what is best for Oz. Theodora is young and naive. And then there is the other sister, Glinda, who knows the truth of Evanora and her wicked ways. But according to some legend, the people of Oz would be saved by a Wizard from the Wicked Witch. Long story short, Franco is thought of as the Wizard when he lands on Oz, he breaks Theodora’s heart, joins forces with Glinda, and at the end there is a weak battle between good vs evil. Of course, since this is a Disney film, the movie ends with everyone living happily ever after. THE END!

Honestly, I wish the film had spent more time on Theodora and her transformation. It was that character that I thought really brought life to the screen. Theodora is this innocent girl who fell in love and the man she loved didnt love her.  Its a true story of all the girls in the world who first fall in love and later have their hearts broken. Once a woman’s heart is broken, she is never the same again. When the heart is broken, she will make choices in order to mend that broken heart and make herself feel better. Yet those choices makes it worse and that leads her into something wicked. It truly shows how fragile a woman’s heart is and how we need to be careful and really shield our heart from wickedness. It also tells a story to men that they need to be careful with the responsibility of when a woman gives her heart to you. In the end, Franco realizes what he did, that the once beautiful and innocent Theodora has been transform into something so wicked. That he led her to be like that and whenever he sees her wickedness, he is forever reminded of his regret and guilt. Woman guard your hearts and be wise about whom you give your heart to. Men be responsible and careful with these hearts given to you, they are precious and beautiful. Men these hearts were given to you as a special gift because the women who gave you their hearts thought you were righteous enough to hold their hearts. Dont let the story of the Wizard and Theodora continue, lets make a promise to  be the men and women that we ought to be. Amen to that!

This Asian American Fob gives this movie 3 thumbs up – mainly because of the pretty cinematography.