As a longtime fan of Sam Raimi’s work, I must say that revisiting “Oz the Great and Powerful” has been a delightful journey down memory lane. Despite not being as widely acclaimed as some of his other works or the recent adaptation of “Wicked,” this prequel holds a special place in my heart.
Although director Sam Raimi is known for his horror prowess, dating back to his directorial debut with the classic Evil Dead, there was a long 15-year period in which Raimi focused on other genres. Now that the acclaimed Spider-Man director is setting his sights back on making horror films with his upcoming film Send Help, one of his feel-good fantasy genre films is charting in the top 10 movies on Disney+. However, it is not a surprise that the release of Wicked has brought people’s attention back to The Wizard of Oz franchise.
Sam Raimi’s 2013 film, “Oz the Great and Powerful,” which stars James Franco as a magician wandering in the land of Oz, is currently sitting at number four on the list of top 10 movies available for streaming on Disney+. This movie has received renewed attention from Disney viewers following the highly successful debut of “Wicked,” which garnered a staggering $114 million during its opening weekend. Despite “Wicked” being a prequel to Dorothy’s tale, Raimi utilized this opportunity to create another prequel focusing on the wizard’s backstory.
Despite not generating as much buzz as a recent musical adaptation, fans find themselves drawn back to the less-discussed tale of “Oz the Great and Powerful,” fitting it into the grand scheme of lions, tigers, and bears in the Oz universe. Raimi’s nod to the original Technicolor film in his opening credits, a first-ever use of this technique, might be why viewers are keen on revisiting his prequel.
How Does the Prequel Fit Into the Franchise?
Many individuals, it seems, could find the two distinct prequels somewhat perplexing when trying to understand their chronology. Given that “Oz the Great and Powerful” is produced by Walt Disney Pictures and “Wicked” is brought to us by Universal Pictures, there’s a good chance of misunderstanding which story precedes the other or if they can coexist within the same timeline. However, it appears that both stories might share the same timeline.
In the prequel to Raimi’s tale, the character portrayed by Franco, Oscar Diggs, finds himself transported from Kansas to the enchanting world of Oz. Here, he pretends to be the Wizard of Oz, but the three witches from the original narrative are skeptical and refuse to believe him. As a result, Oscar sets out to discover which witch can be trusted, as he endeavors to escape Oz. Mila Kunis plays Theodora, who is known to audiences as the Wicked Witch of the West, while Rachel Weisz portrays Evanora and Michelle Williams embodies Glinda, who are more faithful adaptations of their original counterparts.
In this adaptation of the film, instead of Elphaba being portrayed as the Wicked Witch, it is Theodora who assumes that role, deviating from the original storyline presented in “Wicked”. It seems a bit puzzling, but surprisingly, viewers don’t seem to mind watching two distinct prequels with differing narratives.
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2024-11-26 04:33