Oz the Great and Powerful

Story

Oz the Great and Powerful is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz and tells the fantasy adventure of Oscar Diggs (James Franco). Oscar is a small-time magician whose life has been based on trickery, lies and manipulation. After being hurled from his home world into the vibrant land of Oz, he believes he has stumbled on a goldmine. The villagers tell him about a prophecy that says he will be king and entitled to claim countless riches. But his life gets complicated when he meets three beautiful witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams).

Oscar and Theodora are initially attracted to each other. But the beautiful witch changes into an old hag after her sister, the evil Evanora, manipulates her into believing that Oscar has fallen for another woman. The result is a dangerous battle of good versus evil. Evanora and Theodora go on a tyrannical rampage to murder both Oscar and Glinda because each wants to claim the throne for herself. Although Oscar has no real magical powers, in the final battle he uses his old tricks and illusions to change himself into not only the great and powerful Wizard of Oz, but also a man of decency and integrity.

Themes

The supernatural; self-acceptance and self-belief; good versus evil

Violence

This movie has limited and mostly fantasy violence. For example:

A large, muscular man bursts into Oscar’s dressing room after his circus performance, breaking the entire wall down. He appears furious with Oscar and says, ‘I’m gonna rip your head off, you’re a dead man!’
Evanora tells Theodora, ‘Deep down, you are wicked’. Theodora gets so angry she can’t control herself and accidentally shoots bolts of fire across the room. She shouts, ‘I’m not wicked!’ The magical bolts destroy part of the room and leave Theodora shaken.
Evanora sends her servants out to kill Oscar and Theodora. She stands on top of a tower at night, with loud thunder echoing through the sky, yelling, ‘I want them torn to shreds. Do not fail me a second time!’
Evanora and Theodora join forces to break through the wall of magic that protects Glinda and the good people of Oz. After they do this, they begin throwing magic balls of fire at the villagers, destroying the town.
During the final battle, Evanora holds Glinda captive. Evanora says to Glinda, ‘I’m going to wipe out your light until there is nothing left but darkness’. She then proceeds to torture Glinda, using bright green strobes of magic to electrocute her. This causes Glinda intense pain.

Sexual references

This movie has a few sexual references. For example:

During the rehearsal for his stage show, Oscar practises kissing the woman he plans to use in his performance. He nearly kisses her but is interrupted by his assistant.
To make Theodora jealous, Evanora tells Theodora that she can still feel Oscar’s body pressed against hers. She says how he went to her chambers in the middle of the night and danced with her.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

None of concern

Nudity and sexual activity

This movie has some sexual activity. For example, there is an immediate attraction between Oscar and Theodora when they meet for the first time. Oscar asks her to dance and kisses her while they dance.

Product placement

None of concern

Coarse language

None of concern

Ideas to discuss with your children

Oz the Great and Powerful is the story of how a small-time magician becomes the Wizard of Oz. It’s a story of friendship, love and personal growth.

The movie is a fantasy adventure about Oscar and his friends as they struggle against the odds to defeat two evil witches. But the movie also follows Oscar’s development as a man. Learning the meaning of responsibility and integrity, Oscar becomes what he has always thought of as impossible – not a great man, but a good one.

The movie features supernatural themes and evil witches, and its fantasy violence and scary characters make it unsuitable for children under eight years. We also recommend parental guidance for children under 13 years. At 130 minutes, it’s a very long movie for children to sit through.

Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include the following:

Always believe in yourself, and don’t doubt your ability to achieve things that seem difficult or impossible.
Being a ‘good’ person is far better than trying to be a ‘great’ or famous person.
Relying on friends is important – you don’t need to tackle every challenge on your own.