Oz: The Great and Powerful

Here we go...  another prequel.

I really don't like films (trailers anyway) that smell of prequel, sequel or terribly unequal to anything creative or original.  That's not to say that the prequel or sequel can't be original in its own way but it's kind of like Doodle Art.  Anyone remember Doodle Art?  It was basically paint by numbers.  One buys a beautiful picture of virtually anything, with each section outlined and numbered (the trunk of the tree assigned a number, the leaves another etc.).  Just paint the correct colour in the proper number and you have a masterpiece.  The problem is that no matter how beautiful the final product is, it's still someone elses idea or concept.  Maybe I should paint, The Mona Lisa 2: The Day Before.  Then I could paint The Mona Lisa 3: The Day After. Well, I can't paint and if I could would anyone buy it?

What would this blog be if not for my occasional rant?

The Wizard of Oz is a classic.  No argument here. In my opinion, all classics should be off limits to sequels or prequels. That said, you know what else is a classic?  Gone with the Wind?  Maybe I, or someone with actual writing talent could write a sequel or prequel to, Gone with the Wind.  Maybe it could be called, Who has seen the Wind?  Wait, that's a W.O. Mitchell novel.  How about, Blowin' in the Wind? Wait, that's a Bob Dylan song. I digress.

Smokin' hot Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams.  Oz's angels?  Maybe that's the next sequel...  Great cast here, including James Franco who more and more impresses me with his acting chops.  I also like Sam Raimi.  There is no doubt that, Oz: The Great and Powerful has much talent behind it.

So what about the trailer?

I know that in the New Testament, Book of Matthew it says, "Judge not lest ye be judged" but it's almost more fun judging a film by it's title than it is judging a movie by its trailer.  I am guilty of judging this movie by its title.

I also like being wrong...

The trailer for Oz: The Great and Powerful was very good.  It had a great pace, it didn't try to tell us a story, rather it teased us with great visuals and very few words. It captured the spirit of the original, Wizard of Oz and, in magical Disney form, was visually stunning. There was very little dialogue but the images told the story of a small time carnival magician from the black and white world of Kansas who gets swept away by a tornado and lands in Oz - clearly pre-Dorothy.  Like Dorothy, he encounters a complex world in vivid colour and his journey to becoming the great and powerful Oz begins with his choice to become a "great man."

Despite my earlier rant, this was a very good trailer.

I will likely see this film.