There was a lot I liked about this movie...I enjoyed the "origin story" of the Wizard of Oz and thought the reveal of how he became "Man Behind the Curtain" was really sharp. I thought the imagery was fantastic, and there was probably some really good 3D in there (I saw it in 2D). The supporting cast was really strong, in particular Bill Cobbs and Tony Cox. China Girl and Finley were awesome (Zach Braff didn't annoy the living hell out of me). Michelle Williams, I thought, was well cast.
Having said all that...man, I just could not stand Mila Kunis and James Franco. Mila was just laughable in her role. It's not her fault, that's just the way she acts. I guess I'm saying she may not have been the best choice for the role, though I'm struggling to think of someone better. Franco's smile exuded the sleaziness of a confidence man. So that's one positive thing I can say about him.
I really enjoyed this movie and feel about the exact same way. So many great things but some very imoortant parts seemed to fall flat.
I didn't really buy Franco as a young Oz. I'm not sure his acting was bad, just not believable. Kinda think they shoulda went with another actor here. Again, I didn't hate him, just didnt completely buy into his potrayal of the character.
I like Kunis is just about everything I've seen her in. Not as this character though. Early in the film she was ok, just not believable through the entirety of the movie. For some reason, I lean towards Emma Watson being a better fit for the role. I don't really know why but I'm betting she could have played the part better from start to finish.
The effects were really great in this movie and they did an excellent job at paying homage to The Wizard of Oz. Turned out to be much better than I expected. The innocence of what makes The Wizard of Oz such a great classic was lost on this one.
Anyone else have a problem with the monkey's CGI? - it's like it wasn't quite right but almost. And his face had that not quite human/not quite animal feel.
The China girl was very well done. My 9 year old daughter pointed out that he was able to fix her leg, but not that of an earlier character (same voice). That part whooshed completely over my head until then.
(She also wondered why you would build a city out of porcelain.)
Originally posted by Mr ShhHaving said all that...man, I just could not stand Mila Kunis and James Franco. Mila was just laughable in her role. It's not her fault, that's just the way she acts. I guess I'm saying she may not have been the best choice for the role, though I'm struggling to think of someone better. Franco's smile exuded the sleaziness of a confidence man. So that's one positive thing I can say about him.
My wife and I thought the same thing, the movie would have been great if Franco and Kunis were just a little bit better. Or if they had hired better actors. Franco plays a great stoner, but everything else I see him in he just doesn't convince me. Depp or Downey would have been great as Oz. Kunis was good as the innocent, dough-eyed Theodora, but I didn't quite buy the heel turn.
We still liked the move quite a bit, and the ending was great which really brought it up a few notches.
The movie was bigger than Franco and Kunis. Their parts were the main characters but the overall redemption of Oz from the sleazy womanizing heel to the hero was more important than how he was acting. I thought this was a terrific movie, and I had ZERO expectations coming in. I was blown away.
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Originally posted by Amos CochranOz needed to be sleazy garbage to begin with. Depp and Downey are too innately cool to sell that angle.
I would say Jack Sparrow and Tony Stark are fairly sleazy in the beginning of their tales. But I think I know what you mean. And Stagger, yes, I really liked it, but their performances prevented classic status for me.
Also, I never thought Michelle Williams was all that hot before, but now...
Saw it in 3D. Thought they made good use of 3D. I went in thinking it's going to suck, so I was pleasantly surprised it didn't. Thought it was a bit "too scary" for my 11 year old niece as Sam Raimi kind of did the same thing with Spider-man 2 (Dr. Octopus operation scene) and Venom in Spider-man 3. Did anyone even notice the Bruce Campbell cameo? He was in heavy make up and his scene was kind of pointless.
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It's kind of amazing that the actual story came from Carl Reiner. It's cool that a TV legend isn't just a voice on the series, he's also pitching ideas.