Disenchanting Illusions

Some may call it a prequel to one of cinema's most celebrated fairytale stories; but, Sam Raimi's Oz The Great And Powerful is a visual delight that nobody ordered. Playing on the nostalgia of The Wizard Of Oz, the film tries to rope in the experienced viewers by drawing a few parallels with the classic; and at the same time tries to satisfy the younger audience with a little charm of its own.

The story begins in Kansas, where a dubious, self-centered circus magician with large ambitions, ends up on a hot air balloon trapped in a storm. And soon, he finds himself out of his regular life and into the magical realm of Oz. There, he thinks he has stumbled upon a treasure, but as he is introduced to the three witches Theodora, Evanora and Glinda, he realises he will have to earn the treasure. The witches, through his actions, are convinced that he is not the right man for the job and that he will not fulfill the prophecy; however, when the time comes, he rises to the occasion in a regular 'cometh the hour, cometh the man' premise.

The film creates a spectacle large enough to mislead the desired audience into losing track of what they really came to see. The lacklustre story provides no new insights into the realm of Oz and the only question it answers is how the wizard really came to Oz in the first place -- a question that no one really asked in so many years.

On the technical side, the film is pretty strong and is the only reason you can sit through the film with a disengaging plot. There's no value addition in terms of storytelling but the visuals, testimony to Hollywood's increasing tendency to sell spectacles, are entertaining indeed. The ceramic girl is the character that truly engages you and is perhaps one of the most adorable animated characters that you have seen on screen. The tiny girl in a frock, epitomising the metaphor for being fragile, makes you feel protective of her, and speaks volumes of how animation can stimulate strong emotions about things that don't really exist.

Oz The Great And Powerful, like its protagonist, is a circus magician. He has a lot of tricks to offer and has an innate knack of making a presentation. But deep inside you always know that it isn't real magic.

Rating - 2 out of 5

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on March 9, 2013

Back in Bourne-Ville

Jeremy Renner takes over the reigns from Matt Damon as director Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Legacy breaks out of the Robert Ludlum’s Bourne trilogy and enters a new realm. The movie is a good example of the fact the franchise still has a few stories to tell.

Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) finds himself at the edge of termination as the CIA decides to dismantle the Black Ops division. His survival instinct sees him team up with a geneticist, played by Rachel Weisz, who holds the key to his immunity. The plot sees Cross dodge several drone attacks, satellite cameras and CIA agents to find his way from a forest in Virginia to Maryland and finally, Manila in Philippines.
Gilroy brings something fresh to the espionage genre and his obsession with logic and correctness makes the film very believable. But the first half hour feels like an information overload and the presentation is uninteresting. However, things begin to fall into place by the time we’re half-way into the film. The plot becomes clear and so do the allegiances of the audience.

The action sequences are the highlight of the film. There are some things that leave you with a déjà vu feeling, but quite a few scenes – like the motorcycle chase sequence in the climax, throw up a few surprises. Tony Gilroy, who has also edited this film, has done a brilliant job in arranging the scenes so as to keep the pulse high. The editing pattern at the start of the film and in most high-adrenaline sequences is noteworthy.

The characterisation, however, falls short on a few accounts. Jeremy Renner’s Aaron Cross finds it hard to fill Jason Bourne’s shoes. Edward Norton plays Retired Colonel Eric Byer and is a vague reminder of what he usually does on screen. Although the primary antagonist, his role is pretty short and doesn’t get enough screen time. Rachel Weisz’s Marta is just another woman with valuable information, who needs to be saved and is a prize for the hero – the same old story.

For the fans of this franchise, this might be a little difficult to embrace right away. But apart from that, The Bourne Legacy is a decent action thriller which does not disappoint. If the fans are to take any positive, it’s in the fact that they get a chance to re-visit Bourne-ville.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on August 11, 2012