Oz the Great and Powerful (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray) [Region A & B & C]

I`ve always been too old to appreciate the sweetness of 'The Wizard Of Oz',so I just watched this because there was nothing else on.And was pleasantly surprised.This is not only a film aimed at children,but also at imaginative older Sam Raimi types.The silliness and pantomime elements are restricted to a short musical scene and the cackling of the Wicked Witch,who seems out of place in this modern take on the story.The cast is well chosen,the scenery beautiful and the witty dialogue is occasionally a little too elaborate for many children to understand.I`ve never been impressed with James Franco until this film-Not only is he the lead but he`s playing a character whose moral compass is often trying to point in several directions at the same time.Mila Kunis is also very impressive,even though her character could be less silly-It`s my one real gripe-I suppose it has to pay homage to the original-but she nearly makes it work.The monkey and china girl are the best but they do get the best lines.The Wizard is a trickster and those expecting big fight scenes,or a film like the Judy Garland original are likely to be disappointed,but this film is about brains and not brawn,and an attempt to recreate the original would only appeal to the biggest fans.With all those preconceptions and expectations maybe this film was never going to be a runaway success,but this is Raimis best film since Evil Dead 2.And that was 30 years ago.

'Oscar Diggs' a fairground magician leaps on board an air-balloon toescape those that wish to give the conman his just-deserts.the balloon drifts into a 'twister' that ultimately whisk's him tothe colourful and wonderful land of 'OZ'he is met by what is initially a ''good'' witch who immediately see'sthe visitor as the fulfilment of the prophecy........a wizard woulddescend from the sky and save the people of 'OZ' by killing the wickedwitch.the fraudster assumes the role, however before he can claim the throneand riches of the 'emerald city'.........he has to defeat the 'wicked'witch. ( can this conman fulfil the prophecy for the people of 'OZ' )as in the 1939 classic, the story starts in 'Kansas' and also cleverlyin black and white bursting into colour when reaching 'OZ'there are also links to all of the much loved character's from theoriginal version.this perhaps, the most visually stunning film since 'Avatar''Disney' brings 'OZ' back to our screens with many wonderful charactersalong the way. ( clever prequel to the 1939 classic )great family viewing ( super 3-D effects throughout and much in the wayof impressive 'C.G.I' to admire )'' we're off to see the wizard the wonderful wizard of OZ''

after missing this film in the Cinema, I ignored online reviews pre-ordered the 3d disk version (ps not lot of 3d in there but when it comes it pops off the screen better than some for 3d) for anyone who who likes watching Oz films in the past may find this reboot a little hard to watch and straight away I will say this is NOT a film you would want to show your under 9s as in subject matter in a way its more aimed at young adults (eg 11/12) who can grasp the subject of a broken heart,what a conman is/illusionist, can handle sudden & frightening close ups of screaming baboon faces, and whilst done in a light hearted way there's even a quick brush (if its ever possible) on the subject of genocide, but I must stress for the unenlightened it may just look like a lot of broken pottery, its for these reasons alone I would hesitate against showing to young children and in some ways it really should have a 12 rating.in a way you could think of this as a successful blend of once upon a time and return to Oz, than the original OZ whist light and airy use of technicolor sets and with the costumes to fit, below the surface is a much darker story, and to be honest if they had gone for a more adult audience instead of PG it could have been a better film all over because after watching the film again in a way it kind or makes you think the script writers may have spent a couple of hours looking at "alice: the madness returns" for inspiration then brushed over most of it again in the edits.As for the film however it first starts off like all oz films in Kansas (PS good old 4/3 ratio in sudo B/W, so please tell your younger views not to try adjusting your tv set) following the story of one washed up carnie illusionist Oz, who seems to be a bigger hit with the ladies than the crowds, enter his side kick (painfully miss cast) zach braff complaining about the poor takings (plus brushing on the subject of Oz being a bit of a Lothario)queue escaping from one of OZ's past conquests partners & Oz jumps into a helium Balloon and so starts the trip off to Oz. I will not give to much away away other than to say we shall finally meet the three witches before there first outing in OZ, (wicked this isn't) Theodora (mila kunis) Evanora (Rachel weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams - (who hands down plays the best acted roll in the film.) its at this point the film comes alive yet also leaves you feeling it could have been something a bit more.I would recommend this to any fantasy fiction fan who is looking for there fantasy fix, however because of the PG raiting some parts and lines had to be dummed down and because of it (either though being miss cast) or having to get past the sensor-board, things take on this hybrid bad guy feeling, believe me this is not one of Rachel Weisz finest moments, (yes I see a golden raspberries) you just don't get the feeling there's more to this character when in fact the story is crying out for a manipulative "Regina"for children over 9 I would give this a rating of 7 out of 10 (with supervision)for a more adult audience who I still feel would have been the better aim at because of the shortfalls in script and lack of darkness it gets a 6 out 10

There is a lot to be said for rebooting and re-imaging of classic films. When Oz, The Great and Powerful was announced, along with it's stellar cast of James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Wesiz and Zach Braff it was a case of who could not be interested !The film doesn't disappoint, whether in 3D as I have brought, or standard 2D, from the opening homage to the original The Wizard of Oz with the sepia toned 4:3 opening, to the vivid and outlandish Oz, it is simply a visual treat. James Franco is thrust into the role of the Wizard, a reluctant hero.This is a great family film, however the younger audience may find some scenes a bit scary, more the flying apes scenes than anything else.

A really great film and one of the better Disney live action movies. The 3d is used really well and special effects are great. As you would expect from Disney the production value is really high class. The only downside is that some of the acting is over the top to the point of being unbelievable. But the villain characters are really well played and hit just the right balance of over the top and believability. A fan of Oz or Disney or family movies will live this one.

Was hard to find in store but got it here

"Die fantastische Welt von Oz" ist ein Prequel zur bekannten Geschichte von Dorothy und dem Zauberer der Smaragdenstadt. Es spielt im Universum der Welt von Oz, erzählt aber (wie auch andere Filmadaptionen) eine ganz eigene Geschichte, nämlich die, wie der Zauberer ursprünglich in dieses Land kam und dabei auch gleich die - oder besser - eine mögliche Vorgeschichte der Hexen.Bemerkenswert ist dabei, dass der Film gewisserweise die Bildsprache der berühmten Verfilmung der MGM-Studios von 1939 (!) aufgreift, jenem Film, bei dem das Lied "Somewhere over the rainbow" heutzutage bekannter sein dürfte als der Film selbst."Der Zauberer von Oz" (1939) hat man 75 Jahre später (gut) nach 3D konvertiert, dieser Film hier wurde originär in 3D gedreht bzw. gerendet. Wie damals setzt man auch hier auf den Wechsel von Schwarz-Weiß zu Farbe, um das Übertreten in die Welt von Oz hervorzuheben. Es gibt weitere inhaltliche/gestalterische Parallelen, etwa maskenbildnerisch bei der grünen Westhexe. Und wie der erstgenannte Film so reizt auch dieser wieder die technischen Möglichkeiten seiner Zeit voll und ganz aus. Natürlich liegen zwischen der damaligen und der heutigen Film-Tricktechnik Welten, und auch der Film als solches wirkt ganz anders, es ist ein anderer Typ Film: Kein Familien-Musical wie damals und ganz sicher auch kein Kinderfilm, sondern ein viel erwachsener wirkender Film mit "Erwachsenenproblemen" und auch mit den einen oder anderen Schockszenen und manchem brutalen Hexenkampf.Ich empfehle "Die fantastische Welt von Oz" daher erst ab ca. 12 Jahren.Der 3D-Effekt ist ordentlich und wirkt (wie bei Disney-Filmen eigentlich immer) überzeugend. An einigen Stellen konnte man der Versuchung nicht wiederstehen, mit Popouts Angsteffekte zu schüren, indem gefährliche Dinge auf den Betrachter zuschießen (und scheinbar aus der Leinwand heraus). Ich persönlich kann dem nichts abgewinnen, gute Filme kommen ohne diese 3D-Effekthascherei aus.Die Doppel-Blu-Ray-Box kommt noch mit einer 2. Scheibe, auf der sich die 2D-Version und sehenswerte Extras (Hintergrundinfos, Making-Of, Pannen) befinden, die ich noch nicht alle angeschaut habe. Warum man ein dickeres Jevel Case mit Klapp-Einlage verwendet hat, weiß ich nicht; andere Hersteller packen die 2 Disks einfach auf je eine der Seiten einer normal breiten Box. Leider hat man auch nicht an ein Wendecover gedacht. Beides ist typisch für Disney, warum auch immer. (Ist auch verschmerzbar.)Für 30€ (wie momentan für ein neues Exemplar) würde ich den Film nicht kaufen, aber gebraucht für unter 10€ finde ich ihn definitiv kaufenswert.

Buena pelicula

anche se bistrattato da critica ho adorato da subito questo film che ho già rivisto più volteottimi attori James Franco molto divertente, film coloratissimo e allegro, mi richiama la spensieratezza del vecchio mago di OzAudio ok, forse solo sul comparto 3D mi sarei aspettato qualcosa di più ma comunque adeguato

Excellent movie. A follow up of the original.