Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful at the Esquire IMAX Theater
A Review by John Benton
Staff Writer
Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a circus magician in Kansas, was known for his feats of magic. He was also known as a ladies’ man. When a situation arose at the circus that Oz needed desperately to escape from, there just happened to be a giant tornado in the vicinity. Oz found his escape route by way of a huge hot air balloon which was ready for takeoff. During his escape, in a fashion very familiar to Wizard of Oz fans, his balloon was dragged into the tornado and at that point his life changed forever. Courtesy Photo: L to R, Mila Kunis, James Franco, and Michelle Williams
Landing in Oz, he found that there had been a long-standing prophecy of a great magician bearing the name of the land to appear and defeat the evil witch. Upon meeting a different witch, Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams), Oz saw an opportunity to become the ruler of such a rich land and city, known as the Emerald City. If he could only stand in place as the magician of this prophecy.
As Oz travels toward the Emerald City, just as Dorothy did, he meets some amazing friends. Beautiful Theodora (Mila Kunis) and winged monkey Finley (voiced by Zach Braff), followed by the forgotten China Girl (voiced by Joey King) join him on his quest. Theodora is called home by her evil sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz) as the group continues on to find and destroy the Wicked Witch. Working with the well-known Munchkins and a group new to fans, the Quadlings, Oz earns the trust of the people and uses his ingenuity and cunning to devise a plan to fulfill his destiny and hopefully climb the throne of the Emerald City.
The beloved movie Wizard of Oz has been a family favorite for years and years. That memorable movie is based on L. Frank Baum's classic series about the fantastical Land of Oz and all of it's inhabitants. The new Disney movie Oz the Great and Powerful, directed by Sam Raimi and scripted by Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire l is not based on one of L. Frank Baum's other stories from the series.
His series of 55 books, poems, and short stories has been read by children and adults alike for many, many years. We all know how Dorothy was thrown from Kansas to Oz, and met the famous characters of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, the Munchkins, and the witches. What we don't know though, is how Oz became the ruler of the Emerald City. It was obvious to us in the movie the Wizard of Oz that he really was not a wizard at all. But how did he get the entire Land of Oz to believe that he was the most powerful wizard in the land?
This new adventure in the land of Oz is a very interesting part to the overall theme of the Wizard of Oz stories. It answers some questions that fans of had for years, and raises new ones that may intrigue people to want to read more from the L Frank Baum books. If you're a fan of the Wizard of Oz or of the Oz series of books you should definitely see this movie.
The Land of Oz has been talked about recently not only because of the original Baum series. It has become the setting for an award winning Broadway musical Wicked, based on the book by Gregory Maguire entitled Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. This storyline comes from the perspective of the witches and tells a tale of how they grew up. It does not follow very closely to the original stories of Baum. Disney's new version, however, is much closer in feeling to Baum's original ideas of life in Oz.
Disney's newest film installment of the series is much more modern. For the first time, viewers can be part of the action. I watched the movie at the Esquire IMAX in 3-D. Esquire IMAX Theater in Downtown Sacramento is the cutting edge in 3-D presentation technology. Their screen and sound system employs some of the most advanced technology at the forefront of the up-and-coming 3-D revolution. Many first-run, box office movies are being produced in 3-D as well as 2-D format. You can watch 3-D movies at most modern theaters in most cities around the United States. However, the quality and the experience that you receive when you watch an IMAX 3-D movie, especially at the Esquire IMAX, is far superior to that of regular movie theaters.
For more information about Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful, visit http://disney.go.com/thewizard For more information about the Wizard of Oz series and all of L. Frank Baum's books visit www.online-literature.com/baum The Esquire IMAX theater in downtown Sacramento is a comfortable venue for family theater enjoyment, centrally located at 1211 K Street (adjacent to the Convention Center), Sacramento, CA.
For information, go to the Esquire IMAX website for shows and show times www.imax.com/oo/esquire-imax/ or call 916-443-4629. Enjoy the IMAX experience soon. Free parking is at the Capitol Lot on L & 10th Streets, weekdays after 5pm, and all weekend with validation sticker. Present your parking ticket at the Box Office. For birthday parties and field trips, email aatilano@imax.com or phone: 916-446-2333x200. For events, fund raisers, IMAX educators and private show screenings, email wrussell@imax.com or phone 916-446-2333 x201.
Back to Top
