A con man is transported to the Land of Oz, where he is mistaken for the wizard prophesied to save them.
This is definitely somewhat of a disappointment. It is a pale imitation of the 1939 original, which at times it seems to be a prequel to, however, there are major inconsistencies that seem to rule this out. It's also this kind of awkward middle ground between something only meant for children and a more intelligent complex film. Still, there are positives. A lot of the time, the CGI is convincing. Every so often, there will be a sequence where 1 or more people will move from one place to another(walk, run, fly, be chased) and we'll get a good look at the beautiful country that it's set in. And there are many scenes of actual real people having conversations where only the background is fake. I'm talking eye contact, they play off each other, the whole nine yards.
The acting of James Franco and Mila Kunis is a major problem. They are both talented, but woefully miscast. Don't get me wrong, the amazing performances of Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz help pick up the slack. Meanwhile, our lead is simply not completely convincing. Zach Braff proved surprisingly funny, and Joey King remarkably emotional, as the two companions created by special effects. A lot of the time they do feel like they're really there. It helps that the actors were both on set delivering their lines. The best thing about this is almost definitely the camera work and general visual style of Sam Raimi.
I recommend this only to the biggest fans of the director and franchise. 6/10.
