"The Wizard of Oz" is as much an American institution as apple pie or the 4th of July. Dog on the movie in mixed company and the room is likely to go silent, everyone present looking awkwardly down towards the floor, one brave soul managing through gritted teeth and a pained expression, "Don't, dude...just...don't."
It's worth noting that the only people I've ever discussed the movie with who did not idolize it were people who didn't see it until they were older - teenagers or beyond. I guess there's a certain childlike suspension of disbelief needed to see beyond the seams and paint and strings holding the movie's primitive illusions together. But it's also worth noting that the millions of minds that have been blown by the movie as children tend to stay blown.
Like many people, I can't remember the first time I saw "The Wizard of Oz," and I've lost track over the years how many times I've seen it since. Dozens. My adoration of it, rather than being dulled by age and experience, has only grown deeper. It's one of the few things in the world I can always count on to make me feel like a kid again - when everything around me was amazing because there were so many things I didn't yet understand and which were out of my control. I WAS Dorothy - every kid is - swirled up into the tornado of life, a situation utterly beyond our control.
I've always been frustrated by the lack of "Oz" movies that have followed in the wake of "Wizard of Oz." I though the dark, spooky "Return to Oz" from the 1980's was excellent, but other than that...nothing. So my heart began to race with anticipation at the announcement of "Oz: The Great and Powerful," the new movie starring James Franco. When it came to Berryville, I was sitting in the theater on opening night to drink it in.
All I can say is...wow.
In spite of some bizarrely leaden acting (especially from Franco) and a few moments and plot elements that felt more derivative than tribute, the movie manages to conjure up a hefty dose of magic all its own. A prequel to the events of "Wizard of Oz," the movie tosses in some backstory about how "The Great and Powerful Oz" (the "man behind the curtain" in the 1939 movie) happened to make it to Oz in the first place. Add in a trio of beautiful, scheming witches (one of whom undergoes a transformation comparable to the impact of seeing Darth Vader's mask get lowered onto Anakin's head in Star Wars Episode III and hearing that first iconic breath come rasping out), some amazingly rendered CGI supporting characters, and even a classic "finding the potential within oneself" underdog story, the movie is one of the most enjoyable I've seen in a long time.
As I sat there in the darkened theater, letting the spectacular visuals wash over me, a peculiar transformation began to occur - I reverted back in time to the child I used to be, sitting in wide eyed wonder as the magic of movie worlds slowly sucked me in and zonked my impressionable mind. I used to commonly experience a tremendous sense of disappointment after a movie was over that the world created in it wasn't real - the magic was so powerful that having to head back to "real life" was nothing but a letdown. I hadn't felt that for a long time, but I felt it last night. For two hours, I was utterly transported from reality into a world beyond imagination.
There were times when I was overcome by emotion - not at the events onscreen - but at the effect they were having on me. It was so wonderful to be brought back to that place...that place I didn't even realize I had lost sight of until I felt it come rushing back. That is the magic of the movies as pure escapism. I'm back in reality now, but my step is lighter and my mind is brighter, filled with optimism and wonder at the world around me - perhaps the most amazing place of all.
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