Oz the Great and We Swear This Isn’t Alice in Wonderland

When Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot–fame and fortune are his for the taking–that is until he meets three witches, Theodora, Evanora and Glinda, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity–and even a bit of wizardry–Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.

Sam Raimi has made a whole lot of movies that I either enjoy or totally adore, and as such, the man has earned the benefit of my doubt. But it’s tough for me to look past the similarities between the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful and Tim Burton’s disastrous Alice in Wonderland. Both have CGI style coming out the wazoo, threatening to take over the entire film, and both seem to be trying to hit that sweet spot between bright and cheerful and dark and sinister. Oz the Great and Powerful has a solid cast, though, and there must be something to it, since it’s a prequel to what is widely considered to be one of the best movies ever made. Right? Right? I dunno. I’ll be seeing this one, but I wish I could say I had higher hopes for it.

Oz the Great and Powerful comes out March 8, 2013.

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