|
www.kevacho.com
©2002-2024
Kevin Michael Vance
Writer - Portland, Oregon
|
|
|
Go Back To Reviews
Title: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
Director: Sam Raimi
Year: 2013
Reviewed: July 04, 2013
| Rating: |
|
 | |
 | |
| |
| |
Rice Cake-Lowest Rating |
[Rating Definitions]
|
|
|
Sam Raimi's take on one of Frank Baum's stories is a fuckin', horrible mess. There's so much CGI and blue screen work in this movie I thought I was watching an episode of Scooby Doo. Barring Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz (who, on a personal note, I could watch reading the phone book while she told me about her menstrual cramps and still go home with a smile) the casting is not just bad, but horrendously bad. First, there's Zach Braff, playing a cartoon monkey with all the panache and verve of a soliloquy on day dreaming. Then we've got poor Mila Kunis, another great beauty, screeching at the top of her lungs to try and find some octave comfortable enough for her to deliver lines made immortal by Margaret Hamilton, and unfortunately for her failing miserably. I find it unfortunate because I like Mila. Sure I feel the same way about her as I do Rachel Weisz, but I could tell that she was trying, and I respect and applaud her for that, however, the effort was wasted. (Or maybe not, if this inspires her to do better in the future.) But nothing, not Zack Braff, not Mila Kunis, is as monumental a failure as the unfortunate casting of Mr. James Franco. Who, again to my chagrin, brought the entire mishandled affair down to a level of pure drudgery. He leered and grinned his way through every scene, dropping beats and emotional notes like they were forty-five pound plates. Admittedly it's a difficult part to play. Franco has to be womanizing, conniving, somewhat shiftless, shameless, and selfish, but, and here's the hard part, we have to love him after every scene. And boy does he fail. When he's supposed to be charming he's creepy. When he's supposed be lovable he's annoying. When he's supposed to be endearing he's downright aggravating. Franco lacks both the depth of form, the theatre, and the ambiguity to deliver. The role would have been much better cast to a Johnny Depp or a Robert Downey Jr. The only person who could be held more accountable than James would have to be Sam Raimi, for helming the god-awful, colorful mess. And lastly we have the 3-D factor, which gave us what? Swooping minute long scenes that slowed down the action and made the movie much too long and boring. Great!
Oz the not-so-great and far-less-powerful gets my lowest review, RICE CAKE.
|
|
