Oz: The Great And Powerful

One of the most beloved films of all time is 'The Wizard Of Oz'. We've had a book and Broadway musical made of what happened before Dorothy arrived in Oz. But now we get a different type of prequel.
In 2009 Tim Burton made 'Alice In Wonderland'. It went on to make more than $1 billion dollars world wide. A motto in Hollywood is that 'when you're on to a good thing, stick to it'. As a result we've been getting films made from classic children's books in the hopes of hitting the jackpot again. The problem with that theory is that 'Alice In Wonderland' was one of those freak accidents that I don't think you can emulate again. But that will not stop Hollywood from trying.
Sam Raimi is one of my favorite directors. He made one of the best horror films of all time 'Evil Dead' and that was just his first effort. He also made of the best comic book/superhero films of all time, 'Spider-Man 2'. So I have a great deal of respect and admiration for him. But he has let me down with this film. 'Oz: The Great And Powerful' is a visually stunning film and a joy to look at. Even if Sam has copied the design style from Tim Burton and 'Alice In Wonderland'. Even the plot is slightly similar to 'Alice'. The biggest problem, though, is that Sam has not brought his usual sense of fun to the film. There is also no sense of urgency with the story. It seems to take its time and so becomes rather dull and boring. At over two hours it more than outstays its welcome. On the good side I thought the final confrontation was quite well done and some of the 3D effects looked really good.
One other aspect I think Sam got wrong was in some of the casting. James Franco makes a decent Oz but he lacks the fun which his character needs. In some ways that fits with the tone of the film but I would have liked his character more if he was more fun. There is some moments where the fun comes through but not enough. These moments are when he is doing a buddy routine with Zach Braff. I've missed Zach in movies and while we mostly hear his voice I was pleased to see him. Mila Kunis too lacks the fun too and she is supposed to be an evil character. I thought she was too nice to be evil. Rachel Weisz lacks the fun too. She is playing the role far too seriously. I know she does very little comedy so maybe she needs to do more in that respect. The one piece of casting perfection. The one piece of casting perfection is Michelle Williams. But then again Michelle is brilliant in everything she does. The only problem with her being in this film is that she would have been brilliant as Glinda in the inevitable 'Wicked' movie.
Further proof that the success of 'Alice In Wonderland' was a freak of nature that cannot be imitated easily.