I can’t quite believe I am going to say this out loud, to an audience, but, I enjoyed Oz the Great and Powerful more than I did the Hobbit. There I said it, have you any idea how difficult that was for a Lord of the Rings Fan!!

Perhaps the most important point here is that I had no expectations of Oz, whereas with the Hobbit anything less than the regality of The Lord of the Rings was never going to be good enough.

I’m glad this was not a musical as I’m not a fan, and whilst I love the original Wizard of Oz I tend to channel hop just a little when some of the songs come on, with the exception of “If I only had the nerve,” because I’m afraid there’s no denyin, in school I played the dandy lion and can therefore remember all the words.

The film starts in black and white, the same as the original Wizard of Oz. I was at one point worried the sizing on my Xbox was a little askew,  as I had just a box in the middle of the screen, however when you realise the Wizard is in Oz, the screen starts to expand and at the same time fill with glorious Technicolor. I can imagine it must have been amazing for those who were able to view it in 3D.

There is no doubt Oz is visually stunning, with it’s combination of breathtaking scenery and vibrant colours.

The story, while perhaps a little predictable still has enough twists to keep you interested and ties in perfectly as a prequel.

The characters are likable and in some cases adorable, my favourite by far being the little China Girl, who had me reaching for the tissues at her introduction. It’s just one of those films that makes you go “Awww” time and time again, unless of course you’re a bloke and like Shady you go “Aww foofy fecking doofy” in a sarcastic tone instead.  I blame the hormones, stuff like that gets to me!

The adorable little China Girl!

My only criticism would be that I personally felt in some places it was a little second rate, whether it be the acting or a few of the special effects. It made me think back to Tinman, the series made in 2007 for TV, which for a big budget movie from Disney should not have been the case. 

That said nothing should detract from how good this movie actually is. It will certainly be one I will purchase for my collection, along with a little China Girl if she ever comes down in price!