A magician finds himself transported to the magical land of Oz, where witches, flying monkeys and yellow brick roads exist. He is mistaken for the saviour of Oz and must decide whether or not to stay and be king, or leave and find his way home.I love Sam Raimi, the man and his invented work with a camera are what made me want to get into filmmaking in the first place. So to see him handling big projects like this (and Spiderman) was a joy for me to see. Oz the Great & Powerful is a CGI heavy film that demands a creative eye behind the lens. After his work on big budget films like Spiderman, it seemed like an easy choice for Raimi to be the one behind Oz and for the most part, it works. The films shortcomings keep it from being really magical and memorable, like the original from 39, but Oz has enough whimsy to keep the kids entertained and the adults smiling. The land of Oz is indeed magical, with vibrant colours around every corner, memorable spots like the poppy fields and the dark forest for us older viewers, but even in saying all that I can't help but feel how fake it all is. This film suffers from the same troubles that plagued Burton's Alice in Wonderland, the visuals, although great for the story, add no sense of realism to the image. I hate overly used CGI in films to the point of noticing the awkward placement of actors in front of the green screen. The first major offender of this is Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, none of the actors made me believe they were in the settings they were. Both Wonderland and Oz have this same feeling. While I'm getting the negatives out of the way, I must say that what everyone is saying about Mila Kunis is true, she was miscast in this role. I think she was chosen more for her beauty and star power than her acting abilities, which is sad cause it looks like she really is trying here. The story for her character here is a sad one and the second half I think suffers a bit because the threat from her is not really present. I don't really know why I'm tip-toeing around the issue because those who know The Wizard of Oz, know that Dorothy kills one witch with her house and the other with water, leaving Glinda the good witch in a bubble as the saviour. Seeing the Kunis character go in the direction she does didn't really effect me as much as I wanted it to. Consider that the failure of the script more so than the actors. Not enough time is really given to her for her transformation to affect the viewer.The film opens in black & white and and the transformation to colour had a smile on my face. Despite the "fakeness" of some of the scenes (not all) Raimi does a decent job of not letting the effects overpower the film. Raimi steers the film in the right direction, but it is James Franco's shoulders it has to rest on. He is the type of actor that comes off as not really caring. It works in some films like Pineapple Express and he does manage to turn in some great performances, look at 127 days or Freaks & Geeks for that. Unfortunately I don't know if he has enough charisma and power to command a film like this. At times it looked like he was in the role, other times it felt like he couldn't care. Maybe it's his acting style, I can't really put my finger on it, but clearly Raimi sees something in him because he has worked with him previously on the Spiderman films. Where the acting does work, marvellously and in every scene is Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. Two polar opposites that look like they actually enjoy the characters and the movie they are in. They elevate the material a bit to make the drama more tangible. Whereas without them I think the film would have fallen more flat. The drama and character choices didn't really bring me into the story. The film didn't feel like it took chances, or tried to have complex situations for the characters. It had mapped out beats, hit them and marched on. It was nice seeing some nice Raimi touches in the final product. More than 25 years later and I still smile when I see Bruce Campbell getting hit in the face, knowing full well that it is Sam Raimi on the other end of the camera hitting him. Surprisingly, moments did indeed feel Evil Deadish to me, with the flying witches holding out their hands in a deadite possession form. But I digress. Oz is a good film, with weaknesses that bring it down. Raimi and two witches try their best to elevate some bland material and in the end we are left with a film that is neither great, nor memorable....just satisfactory enough.
oz the great and powerfull 3d torrent
This is the imagined prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz'. It's 1905 Kansas. Oscar (James Franco) is a carnival magician. After barely escaping from the strong man in a hot air balloon, he gets swept up in a tornado and lands in the Land of Oz. There he follows the witch Theodora (Mila Kunis) into the Emerald City to see her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz). They tell him that he is the prophetized Wizard who is destined to rid Oz of the evil witch Glinda (Michelle Williams).It's an interesting take on the world of Oz. It tries to weave a viable prequel to the iconic movie. For the most part, the story achieves a workable world where the wizard, the witches, and the characters are all so familiar. But there are problems. The biggest problem is the problem of comparison. This is always the danger. The original is the Hollywood gold standard. It is legendary. It is magical. Any new movie could never truly measure up and this doesn't. It doesn't have the magic nor any songs. It's trying build a movie without the heart of the classic but this must be considered on its own terms.The technicals look good. Director Sam Raimi has the skills. For so much CGI, the movie could easily look fake. It's obviously CG but it looks good. I especially love the character of China Girl. She's especially cute and funny. The acting is not so great. James Franco plays the morally questionable wizard well. The ladies don't do as well. Michelle Williams is all one note as Glinda the Good Witch. She tries to inhabit the iconic role so much that there is no nuance. The only good point in her performance is actually when Glinda tells Oscar that she knows he's not what she expected. Rachel Weisz does a passable job. Mila Kunis couldn't make the transition. She's OK as a sweet naive girl, but her evil persona just doesn't have the juice. Overall, it is a good movie as long as you don't try to compare to the original.
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Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking. That all changes, however, when he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), 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.
Tobit, man, that looks like an amazing run! I think either shoe would work great for that. Have you considered the XA Elevate? That would be another great option, with amazing traction and protection (though not quite as light as the other two, I wouldn't hesitate to pick for this either). -xa-elevate-review-handles-all.html
Thank you for this great review. I always value your analysis and opinions. Excellent work. I have been hoping for a RTR review of Hoka's Challenger ATR 4. Is it possible that there is a review of this shoe in the works?Thanks again for your thoughtful work.
Hey Chris, thanks for your input. Your experience with sizing is quite interesting and goes to show how different ones experience might be with the same shoe. I wear a 10 in just about every Hoka, or any shoe in any other brand for that matter and after beating on the Torrent now for nearly 4 months, they still fit be great and hold my foot quite well, well enough that I have set a few of my best downhill times on very steep, rocky technical trails and off trail with no slippage or hesitation despite the more spacious and forgiving toe box.As far as them running hot, I have not really found them to be hot either, perhaps not the most airy shoe, but average at least, but a lot of that could be our drier climate here in Colorado. Last summer I was running in the Arahi (on roads and flat stuff), found them warm here, but took them on vacation to NH/Maine and with the same temps and added humidity, my feet were soaked with sweat all of the time.I say none of that to contest your experience and perception of the Torrent, more of an interesting contrast that I appreciate hearing about. These are the things that make it so tough to recommend a shoe!Anyways, thanks again for your detailed input.Jeff.
Hi Pierre, Thanks for asking and reading RTR. I ran a 30km quite technical trail race in the Torrent today with over 1650 m+/- and they were great especially climbing as they are so light and the outsole grips like crazy. No rock push through to speak of and there were plenty of rocks. The mid foot hold and volume is quite broad but no issues and better than TK4 for me which while not as broad stretched more. This said the much heavier Peregrine 8 has a superior foot hold and more cushioning underfoot. Depends on your terrain and pace really. Sam, Editor 2ff7e9595c
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