Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 296 Ratings

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 42
  2. Negative: 10 out of 42
  1. Reviewed by: Kim Newman
    Mar 4, 2013
    80
    If there are post-Harry Potter children who don’t know or care about The Wizard of Oz, they might be at sea with this story about a not-very-nice grownup in a magic land, but long-term Oz watchers will be enchanted and enthralled. There’s even a musical number, albeit an abbreviated one. Mila Kunis gets a gold star for excellence in bewitchery and Sam Raimi can settle securely behind the curtain as a mature master of illusion.
  2. Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Mar 8, 2013
    60
    Is all of that to say that Oz the Great and Powerful comes even close to matching the timeless, iconic stature of 1939's "The Wizard of Oz"? No, of course not. That's not just a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon, but a once-in-many-liftimes one.
  3. Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    Mar 8, 2013
    60
    Oz the Great and Powerful tells the story of how the Wizard came to Oz, answering a question I suspect no one was asking, but with considerable digital wizardry.
  4. Reviewed by: David Denby
    Mar 18, 2013
    30
    At the center of the movie, in place of the ardent, emotionally pulverizing Judy Garland, there is James Franco...as he smirks and winks, his reflexive self-deprecation comes off as a gutless kind of cool, and it sinks this odd, fretful, uncertain movie like a boulder. [18 March 2013, p.86]

See all 42 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 66 out of 109
  2. Negative: 24 out of 109
  1. This movie worked for me. I do not understand the lukewarm reception this film gets. Possibly its that people have all seen the first one and have spent a lifetime imagining this material. What I found watching this movie is a great homage to the first film while never trying to outdo its predecessor. Some scenes fell flat but others shined like the china doll sequence. It is somewhat predictable but is a great piece of work. Expand
  2. First off, what is with the hate on James Franco? He performed just fine! The film is actually better than it had any right to be, and in some respects, it makes the 1939 film even better. The film looks great too. The visuals look really colorful and beautiful. The clever twists at the end are just the icing on the cake Expand
  3. The wicked witch might not be so wicked, but be prepared for an epic visual triumph, that dazzles the mind and satisfies the ears with a great, albeit a bit overblown soundtrack. This might not be the Oz that you remember, but it remains fresh enough for another trip back through the yellow brick road. Expand
  4. Just terrible. This movie was definitely done 100% in front of a green screen and for 3D and it clearly shows. The animations are sloppy, the 3D "gotchas" are cringe worthy, the story is terrible and the acting is just laughable. How does James Franco get acting jobs? Expand

See all 109 User Reviews

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