I admit it, I can barely get through a screening of the original The Wizard of Oz without falling asleep. But Sam Raimi’s new movie, Oz the Great and Powerful, is attention-grabbing, funny, and packed with impressive special effects.

It is not just the stunning Mila Kunis that holds my attention in this film, but also the well thought out and complex story.

A prequel to the original movie, Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how the Wizard of Oz came to be the famous man behind a curtain.

The Wizard, played by James Franco, gets trapped inside a tornado while flying in a hot air balloon. This scene, a clever reference to the original tornado sequence in The Wizard of Oz, has the audience hooked from th

The Wizard then lands in the magical world of Oz, and claims that he has traveled from Kansas to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West. In reality, he is a carnival magician – not the magical wizard he claims to be.

Hinting at the original The Wizard of Oz, the movie starts in Kansas, with a black and white small screen effect. When the Wizard lands in Oz, the film becomes widescreen and filled with rich colors.

The acting is a highlight of Oz the Great and Powerful. James Franco is hilarious, and had the audience laughing every few minutes. Michelle Williams portrayed the perfect “good girl” image while playing Glinda the Good Witch. Mila Kunis had the right look for playing the Wicked Witch of the West, however her acting was over-dramatized at many points in the film.

The sets are well executed and realistic, but were clearly influenced by the art director Robert Stromberg’s prior works. At some points in the film it seems like Franco is walking through the set of Alice in Wonderland. The tornado sequence passed though a mountainous area that seemed to very much resemble the sets of Avatar. It then comes as no surprise that Stromberg worked on both Alice in Wonderland and Avatar before his involvement in Oz the Great and Powerful. 

Oz the Great and Powerful is a captivating movie for all ages, and is an interesting prequel to the classic Hollywood film.