Lately, the film industry has been swamped with movies tackling back-stories from traditional movies made many years ago. The question is, are they comparable to the originals?
We all remember the 2010 film, Alice in Wonderland starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham-Carter. The film was lightly based off of the classic story, but this continuance was instead a look into the future of Alice, as she returns to Wonderland to slay the jabberwocky.
The film received great reviews and was a success in terms of relaying an interesting and comparable story. In short, director Tim Burton nailed it, and Walt Disney Pictures had, yet again, another hit.
So where does this leave us today?
Now we look forward at the new film, Oz The Great and Powerful, to be released on March 8 of this year. The movie stars popular celebrities James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, and Zach Braff.
This back-story to the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, provides us with the past of the man behind the curtain, one that hasn’t been provided to us until now.
The movie is projected to be a hit, especially after such a high-grossing film as the original was, but it is not the only adaptation to be done. Tin Man, a TV mini-series aired on Syfy in 2007, was also a large hit.
It was a 3 episode series starring Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough, and Kathleen Robertson. The film, however, wasn’t made to provide extra information that wasn’t in the original Wizard of Oz; instead, Tin Man was a re-imagining of the traditional story, copying common traits from the characters but putting its own spin on every aspect of the movie.
Taking into account the hit film Tin Man and the past hit from Alice in Wonderland, I think it’s safe to say that the newest addition to the bunch, Oz the Great and Powerful, will be worth seeing.
However, does this mean that these adaptations are even comparable to the original works? The answer is no.
Although it is great to see movies that play off of our favorite films from the past, there is no comparing the re-imaginings to the classic. Modern day films are simply there for purposes of enjoyment and creativity, not to replace the original stories.