I firmly believe that my first words
as an infant were set to music, as follows:
♫♪ Somewhere
... over the rainbow ... way up high... ♫♪
♫♪ There's a land that I heard of ... once in a lullaby ♫♪
That's how long I've
been a fan of that cinematic treasure, L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz".
I recall the annual airing of this beloved classic feeling like a holiday, like
Christmas. All year long we waited - and waited - and waited. For that big
announcement. The date and time the movie would air on television. And on
that celebrated holy evening, my family would gather round our black and white
television. Fresh popped popcorn. Plastic cups filled with cherry Kool-Aid. A
hush would fall over our crowded little living room as the opening sequence of
the film appeared on the big old console at the end of the room.
Sweet, innocent
memories. To me, the movie is sacred. It's a masterpiece. It represents that
basic human curiosity through the eyes and dreams of a little Kansas farm girl: Is the grass greener on the other side? Is there "no place like
home"?
So now that you know how
much this film is revered in my little mind, you'll understand why I will look
at any other "Oz" production with caution and skepticism. It had
better do justice to its predecessor.
And that brings us to
the newest release from Disney, "Oz, The Great and Powerful",
the prequel to the Wizard of Oz. Set 20 years prior, it tells
the tale of how the Wizard, Oscar Diggs, arrived in the land of Oz. I saw the previews and was very excited and anxious to see this film. Sadly, it
didn't measure up to my expectations.
I went to the theater
with hubby, my sister-in-law and her son. Our review was unanimous: we weren't bowled over. It was
ok but not a movie we we'd see a second time or rate very high (maybe 3 stars
out of 5?). Tho there was much to like about the movie, we agreed the problem was the cast. We didn't buy either James Franco as Oz or
Mila Kunis as Theodora. And the storyline was a little thin.
Without giving too much
away, in case you haven't seen it yet, here's my review:
