"Look, I know I'm not the wizard that you expected. But I might just be the wizard that you need."
Oz
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| "I could escape this feeling with my China girl" |
Synopsis;
Small-time carnival illusionist and all-round cad Oscar 'Oz' Diggs finds himself swept away by a tornado which leaves him stranded in a magical new world. Soon, after a case of mistaken identity and his own subversive nature, he finds himself embroiled in a tug-of-war for rulership between 3 sisters (who also happen to be very powerful witches)...
Script Logic; 1/2
Alright, I appreciate it's a fairy tale aimed at children, but there are a few niggling plot-holes that seem to exist simply because the writers didn't seem bothered enough to patch them up, which is a shame seeing as in almost every other respect the film is slickly handled. I won't go into them to avoid spoiling anything, but some parts (if you pause for thought) will leave you scratching your head in wonderment.
Pace; 1/2
A solid effort, and the run-time is peppered with visual treats and witty dialogue, but the film does loose momentum half way through the second act. Still, things perk up again nicely for the climax and it should certainly hold the attention of it's younger target audience.
Acting; 1/2
Oddly, most of the film felt strangely miscast, but in a way that I found quirky and endearing. It was almost like watching a pantomime, which as you'll probably agree is very in-keeping with the subject. Still, that strange observation aside, all the cast (including James Franco, Mila Kunis and especially Zach Braff as the cute sidekick monkey) are never less than charming and charismatic.
It's not really an appropriate project for what thespians and dram-luvvies might call 'acting', it's about 'playing a part' (there's a large difference between the two), and the cast here all play their parts well enough and seem to be having a good time. However, one character's transformation from naive sweetheart into agent of 'furious vengeance' is tragic and quite uncomfortable to watch, jarringly off-kilter with the lighter tone of the movie.
Aesthetic; 2/2
It seems that Sam Raimi has recently attended the Tim Burton school of fantasy aesthetic, and his interpretation of Oz probably owes as much (if not more) to the latter's take on Wonderland as it does to the original Wizard Of Oz film. I appreciate the fact that he was refused permission to use any likenesses from the original film, not that there's anything at all wrong with the art direction- Oz is a both suitably twee and subtly sinister, as it should be, and what's up on-screen is never less than candy for the eyes.
Originality & Intention; 2/2
Strangely, this plays like the 3-way bastard-lovechild of Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland, the original Wizard Of Oz, and (most surprisingly) the directors own The Army Of Darkness- that perhaps most of all. Actually, think of this as The Army Of Darkness for children and you've pretty much nailed the project.
Do we have a self absorbed and over confident anti-hero? Check!
Is he thrown into a strange fantasy world filled with magic and danger? Check!
Despite his many faults, does our hero redeem himself? Check!
Will he use techniques and science from his own world to combat his strange new enemy- despite overwhelming odds? Check!
Is there plenty of slapstick, including a few Marx brothers routines for good measure? Check!
Do the witches levitate and float menacingly towards their victims, hunched over and cackling? Big check!
Final Score; 7/10
OK, let’s not kid ourselves here; this is definitely a kid's film, and there are some major holes in the script, but despite that I was charmed and won-over, and so were little ones. If you liked the 'look' of Tim Burton's Wonderland film but thought (other than that) it was a complete omni-shambles, then this is the film for you!
Worth pointing out;
When Ash, the anti-hero of the Evil Dead trilogy, is sucked into the medieval fantasy-world which serves as the setting for The Army Of Darkness- he too is transported by hurricane (all be it, a magically summoned one). This is likely to have been Sam Raimi's nod to the classic Wizard Of Oz, whose main character Dorothy is whisked away to Oz via hurricane, seeing how Raimi is quite partial to tipping-the-hat to the works which have influenced him the most. By serendipity, he's now directed the official prequel to that same film which he referenced all those years ago, and now it seems he's using that franchise to salute The Army Of Darkness. Full circle... Strange world we live in, isn't it?
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