There is a mystery in the Land of Oz. A wicked witch is wreaking havoc among the people. No one knows who she is, yet if she had her way Oz would become nothing more than a barren wasteland.
Starring James Franco as Oscar Diggs (a.k.a. Oz) and presented by Sam Raimi, director of the original Spider-Man trilogy, the film Oz the Great and Powerful features four Women Who Wow Wednesday characters worth writing about.
Despite lukewarm reviews, this movie is a visual treat. Every frame is gorgeous. Every scene detailed to perfection. Color? Outstanding. But don’t let the eye candy fool you. Woven in its story is an intricate plot between its principles and their ambitions to fulfill their destiny.
Let’s have a look at the women of Oz and the special characteristics that make them unique.
Theodora—Dressed in red, Theodora befriends Oscar believing he is the great and powerful wizard. As a woman preoccupied with her appearance, she delights in the fact she is so beautiful. Somewhat naïve at times, a small scene hints of her untapped potential to harness her unbridled power. Her greatest desire, though, is to bring peace to the Land of Oz.
Evanora—As Theodora’s older sister, Evanora is Emerald City’s protector. When meeting Oscar for the first time, she has her doubts of his authenticity. Her motivation is nothing short of acting as Oz’s guardian, the keeper of the land’s treasure, barring those with intentions to siphon it off for their own selfish desires.
Glinda—Having the power of discernment, Glinda is able to see through Oscar’s craftiness and determine his true nature. She knows he has a good heart. Her calm demeanor suggests of her kindness that radiates in her being. More than anything, she wants justice for all and truth to reign above everything else.
China Girl—Although made completely out of porcelain, China Girl is a spirited character with more guts than fear. The threat of breaking into pieces does not scare her when confronted with an enemy greater than herself. Her courage carries her through to overcome all obstacles standing in her way. She remains as one of the greatest inspirations in the film, convincing others that if they believe, all things are possible.
No one can deny the women of Oz are of a determined lot. They each have their moment. They each have specific goals tailored for their part. Whether for good or evil, their power comes from a strong resolve to accomplish much.
However, one thing is clear. No matter how much power someone possesses, if the heart is corrupt, so will that power be. For the same reason, everything around that power will dissolve to nothingness, if no one steps in to quell the desire for omnipotence.
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Have you seen Oz the Great and Powerful? What did you think of the female characters?
Looking to God 
I’m a huge fan of Oz The Great and Powerful. My favorite has to be China Girl but Mila Kunis is outstanding as Theodora. Evanora and Glinda were fantastic as well 🙂
I thought it was sadly underrated! The ladies were indeed awesome, came as quite a surprise to me.
I know it was panned, but as a lover of all things Oz, I enjoyed it – and some of the easter-egg type nods to the original books, as well as the movie. James Franco was a good Wizard, definitely in keeping with Baum’s huckster. I enjoyed all the female characters, but China Girl was my favorite. She was, in my opinion, an improvement on her book-inspiration (who was a little insipid). Nice pick, Jack!
I wish I was like Glinda. This looks a fun movie, Jack!
Honestly, I agree with just about every one of the above commenters in some way! I’ve only seen the movie once, but I don’t remember being unduly impressed overall. I was more interested in the “Tin Man” miniseries of 2007, which I also saw only once. I think, for me, James Franco is kind of off-putting, but I do remember liking the China Girl character. And I grew up, albeit a few years after 1939!, with the Garland version, and then The Wiz as Zathra mentions. I also second Zathra’s hypothesis that SW was, among other things, influenced by Oz (as well as Seven Samurai, etc.). I tend to overlook the visuals sometimes, for dialogue, characterization, gut feelings, novelty, and so on, so I would consider a re-watch based on your WWWW review, Jack.
Oh, yes. I forgot the ” Tin Man ” miniseries. & wasn’t there a Disney movie where poor Dorothy is seeing a psychiatrist ? I’ve forgotten.
If you do watch it again, let me know what you think–good or bad. I found the female characters perfect in the story, each with their own set of rules to govern their actions. But, I don’t mind a lively debate every now and then to show the other side of the coin! 😉
I’ve never really watched a Wizard of Oz movie. *flame shields up* I’m not really sure if I’d like them or not. Maybe I’ll give this one a shot.
Yes, give it a shot and tell me what you think.
I completely forgot about this movie. I think this post is enough to lure me in to checking it out. Despite the bad reviews.
I preferred the original. Although I also liked ” The Wiz “, I must admit. As far as I’m aware of, none of the other Oz books were turned into movies.
I have a private ” pet ” theory – That George Lucas incorporated certain Oz type elements into Star Wars. Luke was a male version of Dorothy, Leia was kind of like Glinda the Good, Ben ” Obi – Wan ” was the great & powerful Oz, Threepio was the Tin Man, Chewbacca was like the ( Not so ) Cowardly Lion, etc.
I wasn’t as thrilled with the movie as I hoped I’d be. Honestly, I thought it was more eye-candy than story.
I watched it awhile ago, and I must say China Girl was the one I enjoyed the most, she had a lot of sass to her and I liked that. Overall the movie didn’t inspire me but the visual was amazing.
Reblogged this on Movie Bin.
Thanks very much for the reblog!
I didn’t like this movie, but the women make it that much more tolerable! Nice post.