Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Trailer

The premise of the movie is excellent as the story is developed with the background of the Wizard of Oz, the good witch and bad witches, the yellow brick road, the munchkins, and so on.

Oz is brought to the Land of Oz by the tornado. I love the fact that the movie starts in Academy ratio and in black-and-white. I correctly guessed that once Oz hits the Land of Oz, the aspect ratio would change to 16:9 and movie would be in color. Some audience was baffled when they see the first scene in black-and-white as the movie trailer has such vivid in color.

The plot is average because it is cliché and there are some plot holes. I am confused with whether Oz has given a music box to Evanora. Why does Evanora give the apple to Theodora? Why does Theodora want to keep her ugly face? Even Oz sees what she becomes, it doesn’t make him feel sorry. I don’t understand the reason for Glinda putting down her wand in the dark forest. Does she put it down to give a reason for Oz to steal? Moreover, the hot air balloon should have burnt once it hits the tornado. Logically, it cannot survive the tornado and land on the river. There are too many coincidences in the story which are too convenient for the writers. And I feel uncomfortable seeing the burning of the hot air balloon because it reminds me of the recent accident in the news.

Oz has apparent character arc but most of the characters are stereotypical. The bad witches are sinister and wear heavy makeup while the good witch wears white and cannot kill. It may be a rule of thumb that no character shall die in a Disney film. I almost thought that Glinda had used her magic to throw Evanora out of the window. But she is saved anyhow.

The dialogue is average in the movie with not many memorable quotes. I like the dialogue between Finley the monkey and Oz most. They are funny and I like the friendship that they develop.

I like the vibrant colors used in the movie. I could tell that most of the backgrounds are done by blue screen and CGI. The costumes and makeup of the village people heavily reminds me of Disneyland.

To conclude, this is not a movie that brings a lot of meaning to the table but a movie that is recommended for families. I watched the 3D version and it was a pleasant 2 hours and 10 minutes in the cinema.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Trailer

This movie is shorter compared with the recent movies on screen. It’s only 105 minutes. However, it fits the perfect screen time of movies. The movie is exciting both in visual and sound. I walk out of the cinema feeling satisfied with the story. And I immediately research the types of ape. I find that apes are different from monkeys for which they have no tails.

The 3 Act Structure
This movie fits perfectly the 3 act structure. Let’s look at it in details.
The first act is the exposition of the premise. The main character, Will, is introduced in a lab. We quickly understand that he’s a scientist. The exposition is integrated into the story when Will is pitching to the investors about what their research company Genesis is doing. It is well executed as there is a montage of a conflict between an ape and a lab technician. This adds excitement to the story. The first Act ends when the investors reject to invest and that the lab is a mess after the conflict.

The second act starts when Will takes the baby ape home to look after. He treats it as an experimental subject for the cure of his father’s illness. There are many winkles and reversals in the middle. There is a physical conflict between Caesar, the ape which Will takes home, and his neighbour; conflict between Will and his supervisor; emotional conflict of Caesar as he wants to win the attention of Will over his girlfriend; physical conflict of the sanctuary keeper and Caesar; physical conflict of Caesar and the other apes; conflict of Will and the sanctuary supervisor; conflict between the apes and the Police, etc.

The third act is very short. It starts when James takes a Police car and follows Caesar to the red woods. James wants to bring Caesar home but Caesar refuses. He says, “Caesar is home”. The movie ends with a twist that the pilot who lives next door to James caught the virus. This buries a time lock for a sequel.

There are not much catchy phrases. However, all dialogue serves its purpose as it moves the story forward. Characters don’t sit and talk. There is no scene in a restaurant. Instead, they act and talk in the elevator and corridor. There is no repeat of information, which is seen by the audience, by one character to another. So the movie is precise. None of the scenes is boring. Everything is integrated into the story.

To conclude, this is a highly recommended movie with great plot, cinematography and CG animation.