Not Dorothy's Ruby Slippers

 

 

I can honestly say that my movie tastes have skewered a bit more to the mature side these past few years. Gone are the days when I found hard-hitting dramas to be boring and avoid them like a plague at the movie theatres. However, that's not to say that I don't enjoy a popcorn movie every once in a while.

I went to catch Oz The Great And Powerful yesterday, and I was blown away. I came into it not expecting much, because the production looked so similar to that of Alice In Wonderland and I was preparing myself to be disappointed with yet another Hollywood adaptation of a classic tale.

Everyone knows the tale of Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz, so I think I prepared myself by not thinking too much about the plot, which in my opinion, was non-existent since it was outright fluff. Instead, I got my money's worth by allowing myself to be swept away by the grandeur of the sets and the animation. It was beautiful and is what dreams are made off. 

Acting wise, with the calibre of cast, was kind of disappointing. James Franco was grating in parts, and I don't know whether it was because the role demanded of it, or because he was just taking it lightly. Michelle Williams, I felt, was trying to suppress laughter the whole time, thinking about the ridiculousness of her role, and is perhaps only doing it for her daughter. Mila Kunis was gorgeous in the first half of the film, and by the second half, she turned in a caricature performance of The Wicked Witch. Rachel Weisz deserved more than a beautiful gown. 

But to be honest, I get why these serious actors are in the movie. Should they have gotten other people, perhaps more comical actors, the film would turn into a B-grade, straight to DVD kind of a movie. So, the actors themselves were the anchors to make the movie a little bit more believable.

Despite the shortcomings, I came out of the theatre feeling good, and feeling innocuous and it was nice to get in touch with the more innocent side of life once more as I reminisce about good old childhood stories.