Oz: The Great and Powerful - C+

Rated PG, 130 minutes

Splashy "Oz" isn't great and powerful, but it does entertain

James Franco and Michelle Williams

The colorful, entertaining new film "Oz: The Great and Powerful" serves as a prequel to the beloved classic "The Wizard of Oz." Standing on its own, it works OK, but compared to that classic (and the comparisons will be inevitable) it clearly lacks imagination. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who can see through his charade. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Directed by Sam Raimi with a script by Mitchell Kapner and playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, "Oz: The Great and Powerful" is a prequel to the classic 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" and is loosely based on characters from L. Frank Baum's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Lively, colorful and well-cast, this "Oz," focusing on how the man became the wizard, isn't that great or powerful, in particular because the storytelling is weak, lacking focus and genuine magic, though the visuals and special-effects, which plays to Raimi's specialty, is clearly the most memorable thing about the film. There are clear nods to the original film (it opens in black and white, in Kansas) yet also aspects changed or missing altogether (in part because Warner Bros., and not Disney, owns the rights to the 1939 film), so no Dorothy, ruby red slippers or Toto, among other things. One notable change is the flying monkeys, so creepy in the original, who have morphed into flying baboons here and equally frightening, which could be much for the young ones. Of the large cast, a game Franco grounds the film with great help from the three witches, with an energetic Kunis in particular the standout. As magical a place Oz is, Raimi plays to its human aspects, of which the likable Franco does nicely, but the story itself, so vivid in the original, seems detached and overwhelmed by the colorful CG visuals, and not helped by an annoying talking monkey ("Scrubs'" Zach Braff) and the cute but unnecessary little porcelain China Girl (Joey King). "Oz: The Great and Powerful" is visually impressive and crowd-pleasing not to mention features a fast-paced, clever climax, but underneath the story needs a dose of heart and emotional connection. This "Oz" isn't terrible, but it could've been much more satisfying.

Wes's Grade: C+