OZ the Great and Powerful by Heath Chase

Heath Goes To The Movies

Before Dorothy landed her house on a wicked witch there was the story of a wizard—or perhaps, a pretender. In the new film “Oz the Great and Powerful” we dive into the background of the “man behind the curtain” and see how the magical world of Oz came to be. This was a film that had me worried ever since seeing the trailer months prior, simply because this would be the first “big” theatrical release of an Oz film since its highly acclaimed predecessor nearly 75 years ago. To put it frank, this film could have gone either way. After watching the film through its lengthy two hours, I can genuinely say it was a great experience overall.

We follow Oscar “Oz” Diggs, a greedy (but clever) magician in a traveling circus. After a quite hilarious incident, Oz finds himself fleeing the scene by climbing into his hot-air balloon and floating off from the troubles below and into a winding tornado. Much like Dorothy, Oz awakes to a magical new world and discovers that things aren’t what they appear to be. The film is jam-packed with cameos regarding the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz,” and is a blast to watch for that factor alone. I won’t give much away, but the beginning itself is a huge throwback to the original, using black and white and switching to color once the world of Oz is found. The Land of Oz itself is a treasure to behold. It pops off the screen with its stunning color pallet and twisty land forms and its inhabitants are just as brilliant. In this world china dolls speak, witches command, and baboons fly. Out of everyone my personal stand out was the adorable and innocent Finely, the flying servant monkey who accompanies Oz on his quest.

The film spoke nostalgia in incredulous volumes for me and was such a joy to watch. It is a classic fairy tale and is good for all ages. So saddle up, find a tornado, and crash into Oz.