Oz The Great and Powerful and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - Magic at the Movies!

My trip to the cinema yesterday proved to be a veritable feast of magic and wonderment,with back to back viewings of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a new comedy starring Steve Carrell, Steve Buscemi and Jim Carrey, followed immediately by Sam Raimi's hotly anticipated Oz The Great and Powerful. Both films that deal with the art of magic and the lives of magicians, the two films cast a spell over me as I became enchanted through laughter, dazzling special effects and excitement. Rather than give two separate reviews, I thought it only apt to review these films side by side and weigh up whether it is Oz or Wonderstone that casts the most ensnaring of spells!

We begin with The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a comedy that sees the pairing of the two Steves, namely Carrell and Buscemi, as lifelong friends who become magicians as a means of shedding their 'nerd-like' personas. Met with fame and adulation they become the headline act at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas. Now jump forward ten years. Our magicians are still pulling in the crowds at Bally's with the same show they've been doing for years which has put on a strain on their friendship to say the least. Enter Jim Carrey as a tattooed Dynamo/David Blaine-esque street magician who's set to become the next big thing thanks to his outrageous form of 'magic'. Suffice to say, feuding ensues! What subsequently transpires is a hilarious game of magical tit-for-tat, each trying to out-do the other.

Carrell is hilarious as the titular Wonderstone, whose rise to fame has turned him into an arrogant, egotistical and chauvenistic example of why they say never meet your heroes. Completely absurd at times, Carrell is able to show us another side to Wonderstone, however. His ability to do the sublime as well as the ridiculous (which he so brilliantly accomplished in Little Miss Sunshine) is also on show as his character goes through the (albeit formulaic) journey of self-discovery, eventually realizing why he became a magician in the first place. Praise also has to go to Buscemi, aka Anton Marvelton, Carrell's put upon partner in magic who always gets as Marilyn Monroe's Sugar put it, the fuzzy end of the lollipop. Being an avid watcher of Buscemi in HBO's brutal Boardwalk Empire, it's nice to see Buscemi return to comedy, at which he is equally adept. Jim Carrey, although present in a more supporting role is deliciously entertaining as the outrageous and quite dangerous Steve Gray, whose stunts will have even the not so faint of heart squirming in their chairs. As far as supporting roles go, however, Alan Arkin shows us more of the ascerbic wit we saw in Little Miss Sunshine as the once great magician Rance Holloway. I have to mention Olivia Wilde, who is as always mesmerizing (ahem!). It's just a shame that she's only here as the love interest, the formulaic plot device set to bring about the redemption of the protagonist. All the same, she is wonderful as ever.

No, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is not perfect. What it is though is an above average comedy with some great actors which in today's market when the Scary Movie franchise is still going, is no bad thing. Laugh out loud gags, the odd bit of revulsion, and a moving look at our forgotten performers gives us a film that is perfect for a Friday night out at the cinema!
           

Now for the main event; the daddy of all magicians - the Wizard of Oz himself! As a child we all had that one film on video (yes, video!) that we'd play over and over again much to the great annoyance of our parents, I'm sure. For me, mine was The Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming's stunning 1939 film. Now, 74 years after we journeyed over the rainbow with Dorothy, Sam Raimi, acclaimed director of the Spider-man trilogy, is taking us to Oz once again.

In beautiful homage to the original classic, the film begins in black and white and is presented in a smaller screen ratio, making us feel as if we're in the same Kansas as Dorothy nearly 80 years ago. We are soon introduced to Oz, played by James Franco, a conjurer with a travelling circus who is seeking to be the next Harry Houdini (combined with Thomas Edison). A complete rogue and user of women, Oz is forced to flee after the brother of a wronged flame decides he wants to use him for target practice. Hopping into a conveniently nearby hot air balloon he is immediately propelled into the air and soon becomes ensnared in a savage tornado that transports him to everybody's favourite technicolour destination. As Oz lands in the city that bears his name the screen widens and a magical display of colour welcomes us to the land of Oz! However, it's not long before Oz is plunged into the fight for the land's survival. Proclaimed as the prophetic wizard that would save Oz from the Wicked Witch, Franco's Oz must go on a journey from scoundrel to hero, and ultimately determine if he can become the great man he wants to be.

Visually, the film is stunning. Like it's 1939 predecessor, colour abounds and plays with our senses throughout the film. Albeit sadly nostalgic for the painted backdrops and men in suits pretending to be talking trees, it can't be denied that the film is a triumph of technical wizardry Oz himself would be proud of. Scored beautifully by Danny Elfman, the film not only looks beautiful but sounds beautiful too. Now much hype has been caused by the exclusion of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. Much to my despair, there were mere subtle allusions to our favourite residents of Oz. However, Zach Braff's delightfully cheeky interpretation of Finley the monkey was enough to alleviate the symptoms of woe for a while.



As to the leads, Franco is an actor whom I can take or leave. He never ignites the screen and he doesn't here. He is perfectly competent in the role of a conman flying by the seat of his pants. Sadly, throughout his gradual transformation to the eventual leader of Oz, he lacks charisma and the power which comes across in several of his troop-rallying speeches. Less Braveheart, more heart failure. Michelle Williams is wonderfully ethereal as Glinda, whom we all know from the 1939 classic and epitomizes the kind and benevolent witch who even has a star on the end of her want. Rachel Weisz sadly fails to inspire as well. Yes, I've actually just said something negative about the fabulous Rachel Weisz. I don't know what it was. She was supposed to be a bitch and I just didn't get it. As for Mila Kunis, I nearly swallowed my own tongue when I heard she would play Theodora, latterly the Wicked Witch of the West, so evil in Fleming's version, played by the brilliant Margaret Hamilton. However, I will eat my words and say this - Kunis was terrifying. At times one couldn't help picturing Meg from Family Guy, yet she played the wronged and embittered lover with a monumental anger and desire for revenge that I will admit cowering slightly in my seat.

So, did I feel the magic? Yes and no. Did I feel the same magic as when I watch The Wizard of Oz? I can't say that I did. Whether though the usage of CGI or the amount of time passed, it didn't feel like Oz. However, I did feel the magic in the sense that what Raimi has done is give us a new Oz, complete with a different kind of magic. No, it's not the Oz I grew up with but it's an Oz children of today will grow up with - and that's not such a bad place to be.