The year
only just moved into April and here I am already having seen the worst film of
the year (or so I seriously hope). Oz: The Great and Powerful is a film that
has almost nothing going for and plenty going against, yet somewhat confusingly
has managed to garner mediocre reviews from the public and critics alike that
are far in excess of what this film deserves. Thankfully the other viewers in
my cinema were not so forgiving, with about ¼ leaving before the film was over.
I would have loved to have joined them, but figured I couldn’t fairly label
this “The Worst Film of 2013 (probably)” if I didn’t sit through the whole
thing.
There was a
point about 20 minutes into this film where James Franco has landed in Oz, met
Mila Kunis and the two begin their journey back to the Emerald City.
They stop to camp overnight and I couldn’t help but think “surely Mila Kunis
hasn’t been wandering in the wilderness for days. Why can’t they just go back
to the city the way she came?” This was the point I lost my suspension of
disbelief, and there was a lot more of the film to come.
This film
has almost no plot to speak of. Because as far as I’m concerned a plot requires
something to happen that advances the plot AND wasn’t obvious from the first
frame of the film. Nothing that happens in this film fulfils both those
criteria.
Among the
many bafflingly stupid things that this film does, none is more so baffling to
me than the way this film references the original Wizard of Oz movie. The start
is in sepia which switches to colour when we enter Oz; Oz himself is
transported by a twister; there’s a yellow brick road; references to
scarecrows, tin men and lions; the list is endless. Clearly the film makers
assume that we know and love the original film. Which is why it makes zero
sense that they wait until the second half of the film to tell us that Glinda
is actually a good guy. Seriously? That’s your big reveal? Anyone who has even
the vaguest knowledge of the Wizard of Oz will have realised who was good and
bad simply from looking at the posters. And yet the film treats this revelation
like it’s a surprise.
Such a
shame too that so many good actors do such terrible jobs with what they’re
given in this film. Bad writing alone can’t explain this, there is some crappy
acting at work here too. Michelle Williams is probably the best, but even she
is left with a pretty one-dimensional character to work with. James Franco
looks like he’s just doing it for the money. And Rachael Weisz and Mila Kunis are
nothing short of embarrassing to watch on screen.
Dearest
movie gods, I’ve already labelled this The Worst Film of 2013, please let this
statement remain accurate. Firstly because I really don’t like being wrong, and
secondly I don’t think my cinephile heart could take it to sit through another
clunker like this one.
