OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013) The Film Buff Review

Welcome to the Film Buff Review of Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)!

In this episode, Peter A. DeLuca (AKAPAD) dives deep into Disney’s ambitious 2013 prequel to the beloved 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. Directed by genre maestro Sam Raimi and starring James Franco as the charming conman who becomes the Wizard, the film blends big-budget spectacle, Danny Elfman’s unforgettable score, and classic Oz tropes with a fresh look at the origins of the Wicked Witch and the fantastical land of Oz.

From Disney’s franchise ambitions and Raimi’s proven track record with massive productions (Evil Dead, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange) to the film’s black-and-white opening homage, talking monkey sidekicks, and rich character arcs, this review celebrates an often-underrated gem. AKAPAD argues it’s probably the second-greatest Wizard of Oz movie ever made — a visually ambitious, lore-expanding prequel that deserves renewed attention, especially with the current wave of interest in the Oz universe sparked by Wicked.

Whether you’re a longtime Oz fan, curious about the franchise’s evolution from L. Frank Baum’s books to modern adaptations, or just looking for an entertaining take on a colorful fantasy blockbuster, this podcast episode delivers passionate analysis, honest critique of the CGI, and plenty of context on why this film still holds up.

Grab your popcorn, click play, and step into Oz once again. Available now on Disney+ — and perfect listening for anyone rediscovering the magic of the Yellow Brick Road

[00:00:00]
Introduction to Disney’s Oz Franchise Ambitions and Sam Raimi’s Role

• The discussion opens by highlighting Walt Disney’s strategic goal to own and influence every major franchise, including horror genres via Fox acquisition (e.g., Disney Predator, Disney Alien).
• Focus shifts to the Wizard of Oz franchise, particularly the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful.
• Sam Raimi, renowned genre director known for cult classics and large-scale productions, directed this film.
• The film stars James Franco as the Wizard of Oz, described as a dynamic and complex character.
• The speaker sets the tone for a deep dive into the Oz franchise, emphasizing its cultural impact and continual reinvention.

[00:01:36]
Podcast Mission and Deep Dive into the Oz Franchise

• The podcast’s mission is to cover every film ever made, with a current focus on a detailed exploration of the Oz franchise.
• The speaker debates the naming of the franchise, noting the “Wizard” is a small part of the overall Oz narrative, referencing the original L. Frank Baum texts and derivative works like Wicked.
• The 1939 Wizard of Oz movie is described as monumental, perfect, and culturally impactful, serving as the cornerstone for all adaptations.
• The franchise is characterized by constant adaptation, transformation, and reinvention, from silent films to anime to international versions (mention of Russian adaptations).
• L. Frank Baum’s involvement in adapting and evolving the story across media is noted, underscoring the franchise’s multi-generational appeal.

[00:03:44]
Oz’s Unique Broad Appeal and Disney’s 2013 Adaptation

• Oz is praised for its universal appeal, offering something for all demographics (males, females, different age groups).
• The 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful is introduced as a Walt Disney production, with a $200+ million budget.
• Sam Raimi’s credentials are highlighted: director of Evil Dead series, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (~$350 million budget), and Spider-Man 3 (~$300 million budget).
• Raimi’s experience managing large productions makes him a natural fit for big franchise films.
• The film’s opening credit sequence, scored by Danny Elfman, is described as iconic and perfectly fitting the Oz legacy, starting in black and white just as the 1939 classic did.
• Use of classic Oz tropes—characters in both real and fantasy worlds—is emphasized, maintaining continuity with previous adaptations.

[00:05:37]
Narrative and Character Analysis of Oz the Great and Powerful

• The film popularizes the idea of the Wicked Witch as a tortured, complex character, paralleling the themes of Wicked the musical.
• James Franco’s portrayal of the Wizard is described as lovable, dynamic, and flawed—a conman who ultimately saves the day through trickery, consistent with the original character in Baum’s texts and the 1939 film.
• The movie introduces a talking monkey companion, echoing elements from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
• The film serves as a prequel to the 1939 movie, with a seamless narrative connection despite differences in visual style and special effects.
• Some CGI and visual effects are criticized as occasionally unconvincing, but overall the film is celebrated for its storytelling and world-building.

[00:07:30]
Visuals and Character Arcs in the Film

• The character of the Wicked Witch is noted for a dramatic transformation: originally portrayed as a human character who embraces her evil identity, turning green and demonic in line with the classic depiction.
• This transformation is seen as a key arc in the Oz franchise, deepening the character’s backstory and motivations.
• The speaker expresses the view that the film is underrated and underappreciated, with many story elements and lore-building opportunities left unexplored.

[00:08:10]
James Franco’s Career Context and Impact on the Film’s Reception

• James Franco’s career trajectory is briefly discussed, including his Me Too controversy, which affected his Hollywood standing despite his talents.
• Franco received Oscar contention for The Disaster Artist shortly after Oz the Great and Powerful, illustrating his significant artistic capabilities.
• The speaker critiques the industry’s focus on personal controversies over artistic merit, citing Franco as a standout talent whose contributions are overlooked due to off-screen issues.
• Franco’s versatility is highlighted: actor, writer, director, poet, and artist, with a magnetic on-screen presence.
• Despite this, the film remains a worthy piece deserving of attention, especially in the context of renewed interest in the Oz franchise via Wicked.

[00:09:25]
Final Assessment and Recommendation

• The speaker asserts that Oz the Great and Powerful is probably the second greatest Wizard of Oz movie ever made, a strong but under-discussed entry in the franchise.
• The film is recommended for viewing, especially on platforms like Disney+, where it is currently available.
• The Danny Elfman title sequence is singled out for special praise as a highlight and a signature of the film’s style and tone.
• The podcast closes with encouragement to revisit this film as part of the broader Oz franchise experience, particularly alongside the original 1939 classic and other adaptations.

Summary Table: Key Film & Franchise Details

Key Insights

• Disney’s strategic acquisition and franchise expansion includes the Oz universe, showing their intent to dominate key intellectual properties.
• Oz the Great and Powerful is a big-budget, high-profile film blending classic Oz elements with modern storytelling and effects.
• The film provides a unique prequel perspective that enriches the Oz mythology, particularly the Wicked Witch’s backstory.
• Sam Raimi’s directional expertise brings credibility and scale, linking his horror and superhero film experience to this fantasy project.
• James Franco’s performance is noted as both charismatic and flawed, mirroring the Wizard’s canonical morally ambiguous nature.
• The film’s musical and visual design (Danny Elfman’s score, black-and-white intro) pays homage to the original 1939 classic and maintains franchise continuity.
• Despite some visual effects shortcomings and underutilized story potential, the movie remains a valuable and enjoyable part of the Oz franchise.
• The podcast host critiques Hollywood’s tendency to conflate personal controversies with artistic merit, citing Franco’s career as affected despite evident talent.
• Overall, the film is recommended for fans and newcomers, especially amid renewed interest generated by other Oz-related properties like Wicked.

Conclusion

Oz the Great and Powerful stands as a significant but underappreciated installment in the Wizard of Oz franchise, notable for its ambitious production, strong performances, and respectful yet fresh take on the Oz mythology. The film’s connection to the 1939 classic and its contribution to the evolving narrative of Oz characters—especially the Wicked Witch—make it essential viewing for fans. The combination of Sam Raimi’s direction and Danny Elfman’s musical score further elevate its status, positioning it as arguably the second greatest Oz movie to date.

00:00:00
AKA PWS we have one of the great alltime Studio plays right here we’re talking about Walt Disney and it’s pursuit to fingerprint have their fingerprints on every single major franchise imaginable even with the fox acquisition they are AR in horor right we have a Disney Predator movie we have a Disney alien movie but what about the wizard o what about this play and what about one of the great genre directors of our time a dude that straight out of college made movies that affected the culture that became cult classics I’m

00:00:46
talking to you about same Ramy and we have James Franco as The Wizard of Oz He was me too he should be in movies but he’s not today we’re talking about Oz the Great and Powerful let’s go one action and welcome to the film B podcast I’m your host I’m I’m the host pet deuca AKA pad uh sometimes on social AKA pad 69 that’s when I don’t know someone gets AKA pad and I have to Pivot so everything became 69 because guess what I have a sense of humor what we do here uh what my mission

00:01:36
statement is for this podcast is to bring you everything I’ve ever seen to bring you every single film ever made and sometimes we going to deep Dives with franchises with the release of wicked we’re doing that with the Wizard of Oz franchise I debate addressing it as the Oz franchise because the wizard The Wizard part of The Wizard of Oz is small when we look at the original gospel the original text by El Frank bomb even when we go into something like Wicked the wizard part of The Wizard of

00:02:20
Oz it’s small but the Wizard of Oz movie from 1939 is so Monumental so perfect so impactful yeah it’s it’s so back and forth uh one day they may resurrect Star Trek and it might be Kirk Trek as of James tiberious Kirk things get renamed and relabeled along the way and Oz it’s just one of those franchises that will always get adapted always get transformed always get played with and recently I’ve been on a serious Deep dive of everything Wizard of Oz doing the animated series which acts as

00:03:02
a sequel even an animated movie that is a direct sequel an anime silent films the list go on I’m trying to hunt down some of these uh Russian ones that that were made but from the very Inception of Wizard of Oz uh this franchise was a huge hit Frank bomb bomb our creator or writer uh he was involved with the media reproduction of Reser o from it Inception stage into silent film so on and so forth and he constantly sculpted the story to fit from generation to generation uh we’re still doing that and it’s great

00:03:44
and it really does make Oz the greatest franchise of all time cuz it adds something for males it adds something for females North down north and west cats and dogs it just has enough for everybody and what what makes it truly unique so in 2013 we had Walt Disney they made a play for Oz greatness Oz the Great and Powerful this is a Walt Disney production it feels it looks it acts like a Walt Disney production2 200 plus million dollar which is crazy cuz same Ramy from our Evil Dead films this is not his most

00:04:29
expensive movie ever made I mean he made uh recently doctor strange and the Multiverse of Madness that was about 350 Spider-Man 3 I wanted to say was it almost 300 million this guy has a run of huge movies I mean these the Productions alone are just armies of creative people pumping the stuff out he knows how to control that wave which makes him a good fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe CU you don’t get bigger than those films maybe outside of Star Wars well maybe Fast and Furious a mission impossible

00:05:05
but you you guys know what I’m saying this film’s great too has a amazing opening credit sequence music by Danny Elfman his fingerprints are all over this movie the movie begins black and white as it should every single Oz movie should begin black and white we have individuals who are L who later appear in oz in the real world or in the black and white world and in the fantasy land so it’s all of these tropes that we get from the 1939 movie that are some they’re they’re a part of the standard

00:05:37
presentation of this movie no different where every single Star Wars movie opens up with a ship flying overhead or a ship flying in general what are my thoughts about this movie I don’t know I’d love this movie I’d like that this movie popularizes the idea that the wicked witch is a tortured character is a tortured soul uh this is a big draw for Wicked it’s a it’s a huge part of the wicked advertising James Franco is so lovable so perfect so Dynamic you get him period meaning the

00:06:14
guy’s a little bit of a conard is he he’s he’s a little bit of a Shyer as you will uh you would expect that if you ever saw the original you would expect that the wizard is a little bit of a POS that’s who he is in the real world he gets sucked into Oz via tornado I guess that’s just what happens and then as soon as he gets there he’s conning his way into the Throne of Oz till the end his his magic his fakeness saves the day all this is written all of this is predictable but the presentation there

00:06:49
we have a wonderful talking monkey companion and the movie Echoes The Wizard of Oz too can this lead into Wizard of Oz a ,000% that’s what makes it so good you can watch this movie and then watch Dorothy from 1939 so we go from a 2013 movie all the way back in time to 1939 and there’s almost no gaps and the only Gap is just the Optics how the 1939 movie looks and I’ll be honest with you there are shots in this movie shots where they’re walking and talking where it just looks fake that’s it munas shows

00:07:30
up looking like Karma San Diego but I love it she’s wearing red it’s such a swerve when she turns evil when she actually becomes and she Embraces her in herself self which is the wicked West Witch of the West where she transforms into a green demon AKA patters just when it comes to the Arc of The Wizard of Oz franchise I feel that this movie is overlocked uh which is wild to me there so much in this movie to love there’s so much to appreciate and there’s so much lore building that just goes unset and some

00:08:10
of it might be because James Franco who look honestly like speaking that he got you know I get it he got me tooed but at the same time we’re still not sure what happened but Hollywood is staying away from him and this was a part of his rise cuz shortly after this he literally gets an Oscar contention with the the dis The Disaster Artist where he’s starring writing and directing and he that movie should have been a full in the full Oscar race and it wasn’t because James Franco was me too and with that uh it’s

00:08:49
a little bit of the beginning if you really want to say it the beginning of the fall of the Oscars where the Oscars started to care a little bit too much of the other elements that involve movies rather than the movies themselves uh if Roman palansky can can come back to the Oscars and and and win one James Franco the James Franco me to self should have been just washed away he is one amazing talent uh I have his poetry books I have some of his art books uh you know I just think he’s so magnetic on camera I think

00:09:25
uh on frame I just think he looks spectacularly so maybe I’m crazy but at the end of the day uh this movie deserves your attention this movie deserves your time uh in the time of wicked uh yeah like let’s magnify everything about The Wizard of Oz and this should be there I mean technically I mean if if we really want to get down to Brass tax Oz the Great and wonder powerful I’m sorry odd the Great and Powerful is probably the second greatest Wizard of Oz movie ever made that’s the

00:10:02
truth but no one discusses this movie anymore it’s it’s it makes my head spin all right AKA p a little bit of a quick one today go check this movie out I believe I called it on Disney plus so if you have Disney plus 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful starring James Franco directed by same Ramy with music by Danny Elfman with one incredible incredible title sequence uh I I do love it I watched it TW after I watch this movie I put that that credit sequence on again I just like the Dany Elfman crawls

00:10:39
like if there’s like a crawl title sequence with animation and just cool things about the movie little Easter eggs here and there with his music there’s no better way to get intro into a movie and that’s one of his defining contributions to American Cinema so all right AKA pad with all of that said rock and roll okay that’s a WRAP.

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.