Oz The Great and Powerful: Let’s start off with showing y’all the trailers shall we?

Before we get started, I feel that I should explain why all of a sudden I’m reviewing this 2013 film. Well, it’s because the new adaptation of Wicked is about to hit theaters at the end of this month on November 22nd. Btw here’s the trailer for that

I felt that I should go back to this 2013 classic and review the film Oz The Great and Powerful. One day I will do a retrospective and review The Wizard Of Oz. But until then we got this review.

On a side note I won’t be reviewing Wicked ASAP when it comes out, I’ll be waiting till the end of next year. Why may u ask? Well, it’s because Wicked is gonna be split into 2 parts.

Part 1 Releasing November 22nd, 2024.

Part 2 releasing November 21st, 2025.

Yeah just thought I’d give a heads-up on that, anyways without further due let’s get the rating out of the way so we can get into spoilers.

BTW this movie is made by Sam Rami in case some y’all didn’t know this.

Overall I surprisingly liked this film a lot, however, some y’all might disagree with me on that perspective. Which is OK, we all have our own options and this is just one man’s opinion.

Overall I’ll give this film a solid 10/10, warning spoilers ahead y’all been warned.

So in this film, we start with a nice callback to the original film, via uh showing us Oz as a Magician, and this entire scene of him in the real world is filmed in black and white and a small camera frame.

Again nice callback to the original film, anyways he’s asked by a mother to heal her daughter’s paralyzed legs, but hey he ain’t that kinda magician, on a technicality he’s technically a con artist.

So Oz played by James Franco decides right after the show he’s gonna escape via a bot air balloon, Lucky timing because an angry mob finds him. and tries to attack him.

Just like in the original film, a tornado comes out of nowhere and sweeps him away into Oz. I love the transition btw. When we see him be transported to Oz.

The screen size increases and the black and white turns into color, it’s a gorgeous film. So he lands there in the woods and meets this gorgeous witch named Theodora The Good Witch (played by Mila Kunis).

She’s wearing all red including a big red hat, she instantly falls in love with Oz. Now why she’d instantly fall in love with a random man who crashed out of the sky is beyond me.

On the way to the castle, they see a flying monkey in danger named Finley (played by Zach Braff).

The Wizard saves him and now the monkey who’s wearing a hotel lobby doors man suit, says he’s in his debt and now owes him.

Anyways he gets taken to her sister whose name is Evanora (played by Rachel Weisz). She’s in charge of the Emerald City, she lets Oz know that there’s a Wicked Witch who needs to be taken out and that Oz is the hero they need.

Oh jeepers, don’t pump this guy’s head with this self-indulging ego. Anyways he and Finley go out together, Finley isn’t really happy because Oz admits he’s not the Wizard. And is just letting the 2 witches believe he is a Wizard just to make them happy.

What a douchbag of a move, anyways he tells Finley after all this is done we can get him a pile of bananas, which Finley drops Oz bags and says “Bananas? Oh I see because I’m a monkey so I must love bananas right? That’s a virtuous stereotype”.

Hahahahaha, anyway they find a porcelain village that’s in ruins where they find a porcelain girl named China Girl (played by Joey King).

She joins them after Oz glues her leg back together, they then make their way to a dark forest. They find this so-called evil Witch. Heck, they try to make a plan to snatch her wand away.

Turns out she’s not evil, it’s Glenda and she takes them to munchkin land where she tells them that Evanora is the evil Witch. What a twist, anyways while this happens Evanora is lying to her sister saying that Oz found a different woman and is flirting with her.

She sent her flying monkeys to spy on him, she gets hurt about it. So Evanora gives her an apple which has a potion in it “to make the pain go away”, whatever that means.

This then turns Theodora into the Wicked Witch. All green with long black nails, she then turns her red hat into the iconic black Witch hat.

What a twist, so in Munchkin Land, they meet a Tinker named Master Tinker (played by Bill Cobbs), and one of the guards of the Emerald City is there. This munchkin is named Knuck (played by Tony Cox).

Which Oz keeps making fun of him by calling him sourpuss because he’s always grumpy. Just then Theodora The Wicked Witch shows up, I have to admit I love the design of the witch.

Kinda, the only thing that’s holding the design back for me is they gave her these bridge-shaped eye brows, so she always looks angry. It looks Goofy, why couldn’t they just have the actress be angry the whole time?

Also, this Witch has her shoulders exposed and wears fingerless gloves, talk about making the Witch a bit too hip.

She threatens them of course and leaves, so now the Wizard tries to escape because there are 2 evil witches. But Glenda motivates him.

So they come up with a plan to break into the Emerald City, they recreate an Emerald City carriage which Knuck will ride. Oz will hide in it, and they also build an army of scarecrows tied to a rope to pull them along in the poppy field.

The poppy flowers will knock out anyone, the plan is to use fog that Glenda will spawn in to make the flying monkeys think an army of humans are coming to attack them, when in reality it’s just scarecrows and they find out when it’s too late.

When they already start going unconscious. Anyways Oz is caught escaping in a hot air balloon with gold. The witches shoot him out of the air.

This was all a part of his plan to seem like he died, then a hologram comes out of a carriage which reveals Oz’s big head.

Yep, Oz died and the Wizard has been born. Honestly, that’s a good plan to convince people he’s the Wizard, also he pretends to shoot fire at the witches by having the munchkins shoot fireworks at the witches but aim them to come out of the hologram’s mouth.

Wow, he really is the Wizard, as in a con man, anyways Theodora escapes on her broom, and Evanora heads into the throne room where Glenda is at.

Glenda says u took the one thing away from me that I loved, my father. I can never get that back, oh right forgot Evanora killed her father so she could get the throne for herself, what a monster.

She says the town needs to learn of what u have done, it’s the least u can do for my father. Which Evanora says yes ue quit right. Then she takes her hand and shoots lightning at her.

Glenda darling, why would u even believe this would have worked? This woman is nuts! Anyways they both fly in the air. Evanora shoots green lightning at Glenda while Glenda is holding her lightning back with her wand, here’s the full fight scene.

“What’s the matter Glenda, out of bubbles? Don’t need them they were only for show”

Oh, snap! Anyways fight ends with Glenda knocked on the floor, as Evanora walks up to her and tries to strike her down. Her hand starts to shake then she falls to the floor and grabs where her necklace is around her neck but it isn’t there anymore.

Uh oh. Turns out Glenda grabbed it by accident ans smashed it on the floor, btw This doesn’t kill her. No, she starts crawling away and starts morphing into a hideous Witch, huh I guess it’s true what they say. Beauty does come from the inside.

Unless ur evil and scummy then all that is inside u is ugliness. So Glenda banishes Evanora, never to return. Just then she gets up and tries to run towards Glenda. Luckily Glenda uses her wands to blast the Witch out of the window off the balcony while she’s screaming.

As Glenda looks out the balcony, the Witch comes back up and screeches at her. She’s being held up by her flying monkeys this time and she has them fly her away.

Guess she’ll return one day to seek revenge, oh wait That’s never gonna happen because this never got a sequel since it unfortunately did poorly at the box office.

Anyway, film ends with Oz giving gifts to his comrades (aka friends), and now he will live on as the Wizard because to the world’s knowledge. Oz has died, oh well.

Anyway the end, hope y’all enjoyed my 3 package review deal of what I’m gonna call “The Emerald City”. Anyways see y’all next time.