Lauren Rule- Oz (Movie Blog #1)

I love field trips! I am so glad that we got to go see Oz: The Great and Powerful.  I mean seriously, who does not love Mila Kunis and James Franco?!  Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie.  I thought that it added perspective to The Wizard of Oz.  Oz (James Franco) played a con man in the beginning of the movie (and arguably the entire movie) who worked for a traveling circus.  He used his charm to pull 'fast ones' on his audiences and the women in his life.  I liked how the characters in Kansas were mirrored in Oz.  The young girl who begged the magician to make her walk was also the porcelain doll in Oz who had her legs broken.  Oz was unable to, or unwilling, to help the young girl in Kansas; however he uses his wit to fix the legs of the glass doll with "magic".  Oz's assistant, who is always dismissed, became his partner and friend in Oz.  The only woman in Kansas who knew the true identity of Oz turned out to be Glenda.  The glass doll allowed Oz to find his power which was in his wit.  The monkey stood by Oz's side, even after he learned he was a fraud (although he did make an oath of faithfulness..).  Glenda in Kansas and Oz saw through the facade he put on.  She saw the decent man within, in both worlds.  One of the themes that ran throughout the film was Oz's inability to see his own inner goodness.  When Oz has to pass through a barrier that does not allow evil to pass, he is afraid he is going to die.  Even in the end, when everyone believed he had abandoned them, Oz was pulling his biggest con yet.  The idea of power is also prominent in the film.  Power comes when people believe you have power.  When the people in Emerald City revolted against the two evil witches, the power transferred to Oz.  It also plays into the theme of facades.  The elder wicked witch was beautiful on the outside and hideous on the inside.  This film was heart filled and interesting.  I thought Mila would have a better part; green skin and pointy nose is not her best look.