oz: the great and powerful
Madolyn's rating: ★★
More like Oz the Not So Great Or Powerful But Actually A Giant Douchebag, to be honest. I don't know if you were supposed to hate the protagonist, dislike him and watch him change over the course of the film or like him despite his glaring flaws the whole time, but I certainly was the first one. He was a womanising jerk, a cheat and a liar, not to mention impossibly weak. He hid behind his tricks to avoid taking any responsibility for his life or anybody around him, and he didn't have any sense of morality or sense. The script was pretty terrible and the storylines quite feeble, especially as a prequel to the well known and loved Wizard of Oz. Like, am I supposed to believe that it was one man's betrayal that turned the wicked witch wicked? And green? And the character development, especially of Oz, was very off- after having presented him in such an awful way, his "change" at the end of the film was pathetic, and the inspirational gift-giving at the end of The Wizard of Oz was trivialised and made to seem like the actions of a dirty cheat rather than a noble man with good intentions.
The only thing that saved this film was the recreation of the fabulous world of Oz. The sets and scenery and computer generated effects were magical and the costumes, oh my god, the costumes. The details, especially on Glinda (Michelle Williams') dresses, were absolutely stunning and the animation of the china doll was gorgeous, she even clinked as she walked. Michelle Williams was lovely, as always, and Rachel Weisz tried her best as the Wicked Witch of the East. Mila Kunis was off to a great start, however after she turned green I just couldn't take her seriously, because the face prosthetics were just...not great, and her eyebrows were just really ridiculous. So, boys, if you're going to see this film just for Mila, think again.
Overall, as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz and as a film in itself, it didn't really do its job. I would have much rather seen an adaptation of Wicked, and now that's probably going to take a backseat because of this one's release. Sigh. I'm very disappointed.
great expectations
Blake's rating: ★★★1/2
There's been a hell of a lot of Great Expectations remakes and like most, this is an enjoyable retelling of the classic story with plenty of elaborate 19th century dress and olden-day sexual tension to go around. Jeremy Irvine fits very nicely in the role of Pip (and he's easy on the eyes too), while Helena Bonham Carter seems born to play the role of the eccentric and disturbed Miss Havisham. This is another very pretty movie, with amazing costumes and attention to detail in the sets of 1800s London and Miss Havishim's mansion. You can see why the love story between Pip and Miss Havishim's adopted daughter, Estella, is one that has transcended centuries, because even without the more sexualised courting rituals of modern day, the emotion is still strong as ever.
The problem with remaking a movie that has already had fifteen adaptations in film and television is that you can't help but compare. Personally, I've seen the two of the more recent remakes; my favourite being the 2011 BBC miniseries staring Douglas Booth, followed by the modern adaptation with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke in 1998. In all honesty, this is nothing new. The plot is the same, the characters unchanged; it doesn't really bring any new angle to the beloved story, which makes the film a little forgettable. There is also the issue of fitting a fairly large novel into a two hour block, which gives the miniseries an edge as it had more time to explore the whole book over three, hour-length episodes. However, if you've yet to have the pleasure of experiencing the epic Great Expectations story, then this film would be a wonderful introduction into Dickens' world. Still, in my eyes, nothing can beat Douglas Booth in a dress suit.
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