Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, this is NOT a remake. Repeat, this is NOT a remake. This is an adapted film based on the prequel to the classic 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. That itself is kind of awesome. James Franco stars as the man who would later become “The Wizard”. We cover his early days as a small-time circus magician and his whole journey of meeting the witches. They’re not buying him as being as great as it’s said. He has to use his magic and skill to sway them and to lay the foundation for the ‘Land of Oz’. It’s a cool idea and I’m really surprised no one stepped up to do this yet. I saw the weird sequel from the 80s and I still like it, but this is a gold mine. Sam Rami stepped to the plate and has made this beast. The cast is awesome. James Franco as Oscar Diggs, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Michelle Williams as Glinda, Rachel Weisz as Evanora, Zach Braff is in there, Abigail Spencer, and of course Bruce Campbell has a role. The visuals look great and I’m genuinely excited to see this movie once it hits IMAX 3D. Sadly, this is also one of those movies that could oversaturate on-the-fence customers. We’ll have to avoid a lot of evil Disney promo to not be sick of this before March. I still want to see it.
