Who Hasn't Wondered If Glinda and the Wizard Were Doing It?

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
Fantasy/Adventure, PG
3 out of 4 stars

 
I debated for a bit over whether this was a three-star movie or a three-and-a-half-star movie before settling on three, but suffice it to say that it is a strong three stars.
Appropriately, for a film whose main character is a magician, the Disney marketing team has put together a surprising and effective misdirect, and the film itself puts together some surprising red herrings and misdirects of its own, but of course, I cannot provide any details in that regard.  But take note, the advertisements have only provided a a very unspecific idea of what this film is, and in many cases, it's quite admirable to see a studio preserve so many major plot points, similar to Disney's handling of BRAVE (2012) (although those carefully preserved plot points were effectively spoiled for anyone who strolled down the toys aisle last summer), when so much marketing is given to overselling a story.
The story, preceding L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, begins in Kansas at the turn of the century, where Oscar "Oz" Diggs (James Franco) is an unscrupulous carnival magician with an oily personality and a penchant for womanizing, but when he accidentally puts the moves on another guy's girl, he makes a quick escape in a hot air balloon and is carried away into the Land of Oz by a tornado.  When he lands, speculation immediately begins as to whether Oz is the wizard prophesied to end the reign of terror perpetrated by a wicked witch and bring peace to the land.  However, this entangles him in the plotting of three beautiful witch sisters: the naive Theodora (Mila Kunis), the suspicious Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and the kindly Glinda (Michelle Williams).  To assist him in his exploits, is a nebbish flying monkey named Finley (voiced by Zach Braff) and a spunky China Girl (voiced by Joey King).

Finley, China Girl and Oscar sneak up on a witch.

Understandably, Disney has marketed the film as a sequel in all but name to 2010's surprise mega-hit ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but it's very different.  The tone is lighter and less action-oriented (although, no fear, they do deliver when due), Sam Raimi's direction proves that he has a say in the workings of this studio tentpole event, too, including sudden twists into dutch angles and the trademark cameo by Bruce Campbell.  It's not his best film, and it would be unfair to expect as much, but it's plenty better than SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007), and while my opinion on the definitive Oz film adaptation, THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939), is not as fond as the majority, which is an opinion I do respect, I must also emphasize that it is woefully unfair to stress comparisons of quality between the two.  Comparisons in tone and style are plenty fitting though, and it's worth mentioning for any Oz aficionados that this film is closer to the themes and tones of the 1939 classic than Disney's last Oz venture, faithful-to-the-source cult classic RETURN TO OZ (1985), which in this viewer's opinion is definitely for the better.  Regardless, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is far from the 1939 film in any case, with a massive special effects budget and the odd action sequence and a much more modern tone.  For film buffs though, I might point out that in 1939, THE WIZARD OF OZ was a special effects extravaganza (and one of the first major films ever to utilize effects work so heavily) and largely adapted for audience interests of the day, including those jazzy musical numbers.
The weakest points of the film involve some the plot basics, especially the now-cliched "prophecy" catalyst that also appeared in ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and there are some details that might require getting used to, mainly the red herring elements, and the seeming lack of screen time for certain characters and plot points. 
The film moves at a breakneck pace, for me, bringing to mind STAR WARS (1977); a trait that may be good or bad, depending on your perspective, but I'd consider it mainly as a positive point, considering that in a film like this, it's of the foremost importance that it be entertaining.  When the film moves along so quickly, you don't really get a chance to get bogged down in any boredom, and while in some movies this can become exhausting, OZ remains a frolic with a childlike demeanor and only carefully placed action.

Michelle Williams as Glinda the Good Witch

The cast is excellent, and James Franco (who has worked with Raimi before as Harry Osborn in SPIDER-MAN) as Oscar plays a fun scumbag with a wide, toothy grin, and again proves his ability to carry a film as a leading man as he did in 127 HOURS (2010), but the real highlight is Michelle Williams (Oscar-nominated in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005), BLUE VALENTINE (2010) and MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (2011)) who turns in another stellar performance and shows a marvelous knack for playing a Disney leading lady.  Her take on Glinda exudes a great deal of warmth, as well as a lurking steely sadness and gut-busting sense of humor.  The whole film has a very good sense of humor in fact, often of a slightly twisted sort that Raimi is fond of, and Oscar's sidekicks, Finley the monkey and the adorable China Girl deliver many of the biggest laughs.  Entertainment is the film's strongest factor, and while it might be pretty fluffy stuff, it's fun way to spend a couple of hours and leaves you feeling good.
NOTE:  While OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL is quite contained to its PG rating, and much less macabre/violent than ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010), there are some surprisingly intense moments that may frighten young children and even put some of the older ones on edge.

DIRECTED BY:  Sam Raimi
STARRING:  James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff, Joey King, Bill Cobbs
Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language.