Film Review – Oz the Great and Powerful

After the raging success of 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland” reworking, it
makes sense to find Disney sniffing around for another literary property
open for a high-tech update. Mixing the world created by author L.
Frank Baum with the 1939 classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” “Oz the Great and
Powerful” comes into view, and mercifully, a few lessons were learned
after Tim Burton’s blockbuster fairy tale left many cold. While limping
along in a few areas of production, the “Oz” rebirth/prequel/tribute is
truly extravagant family entertainment, gifted an epic swell courtesy of
director Sam Raimi, who manages a troubling balance of reverence and
originality with style and sweetness. Obviously, it’s impossible to
touch the Judy Garland perennial, yet Raimi manages to return to this
well-worn fantasy world and find new notes to play, while retaining his
unmistakable filmmaking interests in dented valiance and spooky
developments. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com