MOVIE OF THE WEEK (3/8/13): OZ THE GREAT & POWERFUL

"I'm high as a ... Hot air balloon!" Oscar Diggs (James Franco) floats into the magical land of Oz in a scene from director Sam Raimi's new "Wizard of Oz"-inspired prequel OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. Credit: © 2012 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

KEY CAST MEMBERS: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff, Joey King and Tony Cox

WRITER(S): Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay); L. Frank Baum (original characters)

DIRECTOR: Sam Raimi

WEB SITE: http://disney.go.com/thewizard/

THE PLOT: Inspired by the classic L. Frank Baum novel-turned-blockbuster film The Wizard of Oz, Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco as Oscar Diggs, a small-time magician working in a local Kansas circus in 1905. A bit of an aspiring philanderer, Oscar – whose assistant Frank (Zach Braff) is never too far away – finds himself forced to flee the premises once the circus' strongman (Tim Holmes) discovers the magician's latest trick may have been on his wife (Toni Wynne). Seeing a hot air balloon, Oscar leaps (literally) at the chance to escape ... And fails to notice a huge tornado brewing in the distance in the process.

Fast-forward through the storm and Oscar's world is completely changed, for he wakes up in a strange new land that Theodora (Mila Kunis) informs him is simply known as Oz. Theodora then informs Oscar that he must be the man her late father – who was reportedly poisoned by Theodora's sister/outcast witch Glenda (Michelle Williams) – prophesized would one day come to save her beloved land. But before the newfound couple can make their way to the capital Emerald City, Oz must first help rescue Finlay (voiced by Braff), who the magician first dismisses as simply a "talking monkey in a bellhop suit."

Once arriving in Emerald City, Theodora can't wait to introduce the great wizard to her sister/fellow witch Evanora (Rachel Weisz). Evanora, however, isn't so certain Oscar is the man her late father's prophecy said he would be ... But she is eager, however, to have Oscar kill Glenda so he can then take his rightful place as Oz's new ruler.

But is everything as it seems? Well, what would you expect in a place as wild, wonderful and weird as the land of Oz?

THE TAKE: The Wizard of Oz has literally been around for more than 100 years dating back to Baum's original novel. It's spawned a countless number of sequel books written by Baum's own hand, as well as several movies (anyone remember 1985's "unofficial" sequel Return to Oz?) and musicals (The Wiz, Wicked, etc.) and inspired countless more. So, then, given it's storied legacy, there has to be a need for a prequel detailing the origins of the land's all-powerful namesake, right?

Eh ... Not really. And Oz the Great and Powerful does more to make that point throughout its two hour run time than not. 

One of modern Hollywood's more seemingly quirky actors, Franco has enjoyed a pretty steady career of leading/co-starring roles, culminating with his dynamite, Academy Award-nominated performance in 2010's 127 Hours. Quirky, however, isn't always well-suited for every character – and that is especially true in regards to Franco's take as Oz. At times weird, at other times too goofy for goofy's sake and cheesy in most (but thankfully not all) the film's most endearing moments. In short, he does the job, but doing the job, doing the job well and being well-suited to do the job are entirely different things altogether. Of course, the wizard character is supposed to be a ham ... But instead the actor portraying him comes off like one at every turn. (When you get upstaged by the voice of someone playing a monkey, you know you've got issues.)

Likewise, the film is VERY heavy-handed in terms of attempting to tug on your heartstrings in a way that feels fabricated as opposed to natural throughout the film, save for one endearing moment with the China Girl (voiced by James King). It's very hard to pull off an "old Hollywood" feel with all the vibrant color enthused into the film; the color, however, isn't the thing preventing the old Hollywood feel, it's the acting, the story and the execution of it therein. Raimi apologists be damned, Oz the Great And Powerful may lack the weird and dark tone of Tim Burton's Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, but it is in the same field with it and Mike Myers' long-forgotten Cat in the Hat. The second half of the film improves the first, but it still feels like a really expensive B-movie and not something on the level of the usual Disney production. 

PARTING SHOT: If you're a long-standing Oz fan (like Raimi himself), maybe you'll enjoy Oz ... But if you're not, you likely will find it a lot less than great and far from a powerful film of any significance. 

RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):