Sam Raimi Wizard of Oz prequel is getting a new streaming home as IP is revived with Evil. The 2013 fantasy film explored the story of amateur magician and con artist Oscar Diggs (James Franco), who is transported to the land of Oz and tasked with defeating a powerful witch. Also starring Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis, Raimi’s film struggled critically but was a commercial success, with a box office total of $493.3 million.
Disney+ revealed that Oz the Great and Powerful go hits the streaming service on November 29ththe following weekend Evil premieres in theaters. The film is not only a well-made reimagining of the Wizard’s arrival in Oz, but it also explores the origins of the three witches while retaining many of Raimi’s signature cinematic techniques. With many references to the wider Oz lore, Oz the Great and Powerful It’s a perfect play on the 1939 original. Wizard of Oz film.
For fans of
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The World of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz Novels
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Sam Raimi’s filmography
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Families looking for a good introduction to fantasy adventures
Why you watch Oz the Great and Powerful on Disney+
Raimi’s Oz retains essential elements but offers a creative alternative interpretation
Despite being from two different studios almost a decade apart, the hype and excitement surrounding Evil will certainly leave many moviegoers eager to delve into every corner of Oz, and Raimi’s film Oz the Great and Powerful should not be ignored. Although each story frames the Wizard in a drastically different way, each of them fully explore how different Oz was before Dorothy Gale arrived in the original story.
As such, it may be worth it for anyone interested in delving into the mythology of Oz to watch both films and compare how each feature approaches each character’s rise. While EvilThe Magician is a more antagonistic figure when compared to the Oz the Great and PowerfulThe romantic trickster, each story explores how these men used what they know to become rulers of Ozwhile maintaining the central concept of a man who hides behind theatrics.
What Screen speech said about Oz the Great and Powerful:
Oz the Great and Powerful presents a captivating vision of that wonderful Wizard of Oz – fleshing out the character with a beautiful and exciting adventure. Sometimes Raimi tries too hard to connect all the dots between his film and the original, creating a strange gray area between the “spiritual predecessor” and the “prequel” that can be off-putting to ounce canonical purists. However, on its own, the story of Oscar Diggs is a worthwhile story with a satisfying payoff – an experience that will leave most viewers glad that Raimi decided to investigate the “hoax” behind the curtain. – ‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ Review
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Oz the Great and Powerful Important Facts |
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Box office |
US$493.3 million |
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Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
56% |
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Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
56% |
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Main prizes |
MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (Mila Kunis), Phoenix Film Critics Society for Best Live Action Family Film |
5 Other Great Fantasy Movies on Disney+ Right Now
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
- Enchanted (2007)
- In the forest (2014)
- Peter Pan and Wendy (2023)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)