A very uneven film, but I liked it more than I didn’t. The story itself was a bit weak. It has some strong moments, but gets lost quite a few times as well. James Franco does a good job as Oz. His natural charm allows you to root for the womanizing conman despite his flaws. Michelle Williams and Rachael Wiesz both have fairly good performances as their respective witch characters. Mila Kunis is the weakest link here. Her character is poorly conceived, never truly has a chance to connect with the audience and has a strange storyline that seems haphazardly put together in order to get her from point A to point B. While they both have a few moments to shine, the little porcelain “China Girl” and Finley the talking flying monkey are just not as memorable as the classic Tin man, Lion and Scarecrow of the original “The Wizard of OZ.” They are also involved with a scene that is a nod to the previous Oz that just seems shoehorned in. The effects are actually not well done. While everything is well designed, the CGI is obvious and everything, including some of the major characters, looks more like a cartoon than it should. There are some very well done set pieces, coupled with some surprisingly emotional moments that make the film very watchable. But overall, as far as prequels go, it’s reminiscent of the Star Wars films as they try to fill in the gaps to get these iconic characters where we all know they’ll end up. This includes overly cute characters, overdone CGI and a sympathetic origin for a classic villain.
** 1/2 out of *****