* AccidentalAesop:
** Do not toy around with people's feelings. Oscar ends up in several dangerous situations that could have been avoided if he wasn't such a careless womanizer.
** Women who have lived sheltered lives -- be wary of men who appear charming. Do not take BecauseYouWereNiceToMe as a sign of love.
* AdaptationDisplacement: {{Exploited|Trope}}. ''Oz'' is legally a prequel to the books, but intends to be a prequel to the film. This even extends to the movie's ''title''. "Oz, the Great and Powerful" is the moniker the Wizard uses in the 1939 film; in the book, he styles himself as Oz, the Great and ''Terrible''. Not to mention that the Wicked Witch of the West is portrayed with green skin, which she only had in the 1939 movie (in the book, she was just a withered old woman with an eyepatch).[[note]]Evanora's true form is in fact modelled after the description of the Witch in the book, as the Witch of the East is never seen. Also, Glinda is the "Good Witch of the South" in this film, like she is in the book, and unlike the original film, where she's the "Good Witch of the North".[[/note]]
* {{Adorkable}}: Oscar. His anxiety in regards to actually doing his wizardly duties makes him more charming as a character.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: It's Danny Elfman, after all.
* BrokenBase: Initially, Creator/MilaKunis as Theodora, considering who she's really playing. Her performance was panned at the time, for ChewingTheScenery and not being able to follow [[spoiler: Margaret Hamilton]]. Plus, [[spoiler:the idea that the Wicked Witch of the West is nothing more than a teenager who got dumped by her crush did ''not'' go over well with fans of the original.]] But over time, her performance was widely defended in that she still manages to make the character work [[spoiler: [[NarmCharm even with the hamminess]].]] They also point out that [[spoiler: the original Wicked Witch was [[FranchiseOriginalSin quite hammy herself]] in the original film.]]
* CatharsisFactor: Glinda finally fighting back against Evanora, showing that GoodIsNotSoft and she will pay for what she did to Glinda's father. [[spoiler: She also banishes her and Theodora from the Emerald City permanently]] with a powerful spell.
-->'''Evanora:''' What's the matter Glinda? Out of bubbles?\\
'''Glinda:''' [[PreAsskickingOneLiner Don't need 'em. Bubbles are just for show.]]
* CriticalBacklash: While not panned, there was a strong negative attitude towards the movie, partly because it was [[ToughActToFollow a prequel to one of the most beloved fantasy films of all time]] and partly because [[Film/TheWizardOfOz that film]] already had [[Theatre/{{Wicked}} a wildly successful prequel]] considered [[ToughActToFollow far superior to this one.]] But as the years have gone by, more defenders of the film have popped up. It also got compared more favourably against ''WesternAnimation/LegendsOfOzDorothysReturn'' and ''Film/{{Pan}}'' -- a fantasy film that attempted to do the same for ''Literature/PeterPan'' -- which got a bigger critical trashing.
* CryForTheDevil: This film causes [[spoiler:The Wicked Witch of the West]] from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' to receive this treatment.
* DracoInLeatherPants: Alright, show of hands who has read fanfiction involving [[spoiler:Theodora getting redemption, even though the film shows that this is literally a physical impossibility? Hilariously enough, Creator/MilaKunis does wear leather pants in this movie.]]
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** Joey King as the China Girl is often cited by critics as the best character in the movie.
** Creator/RachelWeisz's wildly against type performance as Evanora is beloved too, for EvilIsCool and the fact that she's clearly having a ball in the role.
* {{Fanon}}:
** It's widely agreed that Oscar and Theodora had sex in the field after the campfire scene. The movie only implies it with a dreamy shot tilting up to the sky, but some fans like to theorise that it was Theodora losing her virginity. She loves him after that moment and it would explain why she expects him to marry her.
** There is also a fan theory that [[spoiler: Theodora's goodness was not completely extinguished]] upon eating the apple, and she will end up becoming the mother of Princess Ozma. In the books, Ozma's father was the ruler before the Wizard came to power, and that could be who Glinda's father is meant to be in this continuity. Ozma's mother never factors into the story, giving a way in for {{Fix Fic}}s.
** Fans like to theorise that Evanora created the Ruby Slippers [[spoiler: after her pendant was destroyed to make it harder for her power to be nullified]].
* HarsherInHindsight: In this film, Creator/JamesFranco's character charms a young woman into falling for him with disastrous consequences. Franco later admitted to sleeping with his students while teaching film classes and was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Creator/MilaKunis's transformation and subsequent performance as the Wicked Witch of the East has been praised as one of the best aspects of the film, with even her hammiest moments stealing the scene whenever she appears.
* HoYay: Some see it between Evanora and Glinda, and also Theodora and Glinda. They both seem obsessed with caressing Glinda's face and calling it pretty out of... jealousy. Yeah, jealousy. Sure.
* ItWasHisSled: [[spoiler:Theodora and Evanora are the Wicked Witches of the West and East respectively]]. What was ''supposed'' to be a twist is now seen as the only reason why this movie stays on people's radars, mostly because how unexpected [[spoiler:Creator/MilaKunis]] is as a famous villain of pop culture.
* JerkassWoobie: [[spoiler:You will ''want'' to reach through and hug Theodora...but after seeing Evanora corrupt her, you wouldn't be too unjustified in keeping your distance.]]
* JustHereForGodzilla: The performances of Joey King as China Girl (an effective Woobie who many called the best character), Rachel Weisz as Evanora (who's having such a good time as the villain that she's LoveToHate) and Michelle Williams as Glinda (a pretty layered female lead who proves herself to be SilkHidingSteel) are considered by some to be the best reasons to watch the film.
* MagnificentBastard: [[StageMagician Oscar Diggs]], aka "The Great and Powerful Oz", was a magician and con artist at a travelling circus before being transported to the World of Oz. There, he learns that he is destined to save the land and become their new king, after the previous one was killed. While initially in it for the wealth and power, he proves himself to be empathetic and good at heart when he saves Finley from a lion and repairs China Girl's legs with glue. Upon learning that Evanora killed the king and framed Glinda for it, he comes up with the plan to defeat her and the forces of Emerald City, deciding that illusion is the best approach. He tricks Evanora into sending her flying baboon army over the poppy fields, causing them to sleep, and fakes his death so that he can "reincarnate" into his "true form": a giant head in the sky that shoots fireworks from his mouth. After the witch is defeated, he provides his allies with gifts and uses a mini projection system to watch over the people of Oz while they believe that he is dead.
* MoralEventHorizon: If Evanora hasn't already crossed this with the murder of Glinda's father, [[spoiler:she crosses it when she tricks Theodora into losing her heart and all her goodness, and becoming a witch more wicked than she is.]] Even she realized after this act that she had taken her quest for power too far and that there was no turning back.
* {{Narm}}:
** '''''LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MEEEEEE!''''' Said by [[spoiler:Evanora]] after [[spoiler:Glinda shatters her magic amulet, revealing [[EvilMakesYouUgly her true appearance]].]]
** Much of what [[spoiler:Theodora]] says after her FaceHeelTurn comes off as ridiculous due to her ChewingTheScenery.
** Graham Norton had this reaction to the campfire scene when the clip was shown on [[Series/TheGrahamNortonShow his show]]. Specifically, Theodora ShakingHerHairLoose. He burst out laughing, as the scene out of context made it appear as though Oscar had never seen hair before.
* NarmCharm:
** Again, [[spoiler:Theodora]]. It's rare that a performance can be so [[{{Narm}} hilarious]] and [[NightmareFuel terrifying]] at the same time, but [[spoiler:Creator/MilaKunis]] manages to pull it off. She ''does'' fill the pointed hat of one of the greatest LargeHam roles in cinema.
** Oscar's performance as "The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz" is such over the top [[ChewingTheScenery scenery chewing]] that it would plunge headlong into {{Narm}} territory if it also didn't happen to be his truly epic victorious SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome against the wicked witches with RuleOfCool on his side.
* NeverLiveItDown: A lot of the complaints say that [[spoiler: Theodora became the Wicked Witch of the West because she was a WomanScorned]]. While there is ''some'' truth to that, she becomes so because her ''sister'' corrupted her.
* OlderThanTheyThink:
** Some thought China Town was thought up for this movie -- it was in the original book.
** An attempt at bringing the ''Oz'' franchise back to the tone and spirit of the books, while also borrowing some familiar adaptation changes from the 1939 film? ''Film/ReturnToOz'' did that too (although it went even DarkerAndEdgier than this).[[note]]Among the adaptation changes they took from the MGM film were having the slippers be ruby instead of silver, and giving Oz characters human counterparts in Kansas.[[/note]]
** Two sisters in Oz, one good and one evil, [[spoiler: and one being corrupted into evil by the other]] had been done in ''Series/TinMan''. [[spoiler: That one had a happier ending for the sisters however]].
* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/AbigailSpencer was one of Oscar’s love conquests before (or perhaps during?) her [[Series/{{Timeless}} adventures of time-traveling.]]
* SignatureScene:
** Oz's balloon being sucked into the tornado.
** Oz and Finley meeting the Little China Girl.
* SoOkayItsAverage: Has some genuinely good scenes, Little China Girl is simply precious, and some good humor. But other things such as the performances of the two leads and Theodora's character arc bring it down to average for some viewers.
* SpecialEffectsFailure: [[spoiler:Theodora's evil cackle is obviously another woman's voice being ADR'd over Creator/MilaKunis.]]
* SpiritualAdaptation: Like ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' and ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'', the film is a cinematic adaptation of ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' as an origin story for one of the most important characters in the Oz mythos and the Wicked Witch of the West is a major character in both stories as we get to see her FaceHeelTurn transformation into the BigBad of the original ''Wizard of Oz'' novel.
* StrangledByTheRedString: Oscar and Theodora. A major part of the movie's plot revolves around her falling in love with him, and then [[spoiler:turning evil after she thinks he's betrayed her.]] But this falls short when you realize that Oscar and Theodora have only known each other for a day or two before he leaves the Emerald City and they don't see each other again [[spoiler:until after her FaceHeelTurn]]. Despite this, she's already talking about how she'll be his queen and they'll rule Oz together, and completely breaks down when she thinks he's cheating on her. It's also not entirely clear how far their relationship went to begin with and whether they actually slept together or not, which can make Theodora come off as a ClingyJealousGirl or a StalkerWithACrush. [[spoiler:Evanora in-universe views them as this and exploits it to make Theodora do her FaceHeelTurn]].
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** Many agree that Theodora's [[spoiler: turn to the dark side]] was far too rushed and could have benefited from more development.
** One of the most promising things about this film was the prospect of getting to see ''both'' Wicked Witches in action at the same time, since the Wicked Witch of the East was a PosthumousCharacter in the original. [[note]] "Remember how much the Wicked Witch terrified you in the original? Now there are ''two'' of them!"[[/note]] But since most of [[spoiler:Theodora]]'s story is dominated by her OriginStory, while [[spoiler:Evanora]] is largely a HiddenVillain who spends most of the film hiding the fact that she's evil, there's barely any time for either of them to '''be''' Wicked Witches by the time it becomes clear who they are. As a result, they never really live up to their potential as a BigBadDuumvirate.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: In the original film, the Wicked Witch of the East is first introduced as the tyrannical ruler of Munchkinland, which is only freed from her rule after Dorothy's house crushes her. It would have been pretty intriguing to see what Munchkinland was like under her rule, and it would have allowed the filmmakers to put a dark and dystopic spin on a famously bright and happy setting. But her rule of Munchkinland never even comes up ([[spoiler:Evanora]] and her sister are both introduced residing in the Emerald City), implying that she didn't conquer it until ''after'' the events of this film.
* ToughActToFollow: A three-fer.
** ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' is one of the most beloved movies of all time, so this one positioning itself as a prequel was already in a tight spot. Especially decades after it came out, with none of the original cast or crew still ''alive''. Although ironically that brings us to...
** ''Film/ReturnToOz'' was another attempt at bringing the ''Oz'' franchise TruerToTheText and honoring the aesthetics of the first film (while also featuring none of the original cast). It too was tepidly received, but it has since become an underrated CultClassic among 80s kids.
** ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' was an unofficial prequel to the first film, and both it and its musical adaptation (which are two separate entities mind you) have huge fan bases. Indeed, one of the entries on the movie's IMDB FAQ page was asking if Elphaba was going to feature. FYI -- Elphaba is only the name for the Wicked Witch in that continuity.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: To [[http://petsnakereggie.com/2013/03/11/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-a-tragic-figure/ a number]] [[http://thegeekiary.com/2013/03/12/to-the-surprise-of-presicely-no-one-oz-the-great-and-powerful-is-a-feminist-nightmare/ of viewers,]] [[spoiler:Theodora]] even after her FaceHeelTurn was a DesignatedVillain more deserving of sympathy than the [[DesignatedHero "good guys",]] and could not realistically become such an iconic villain as [[spoiler:The Wicked Witch of the West]]. [[spoiler: [[TheCasanova Oscar]] begins to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone realize this]] near the end of the film, where he tries to convince Theodora to pull a HeelFaceTurn sometime in the future; [[MyGreatestFailure it]] [[RedemptionRejection doesn't]] [[ForegoneConclusion work]].]]
* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: Oz is simply stunning to look at. With such advances in CGI, it's impressive to see Oz recreated in such a beautiful way.
* TheWoobie:
** Headstrong as China Girl is, your paternal/maternal instincts kick in when she's onscreen.
** The girl in the wheelchair who China Girl is based on. It's heartbreaking to see her belief in magic crushed after Oz reveals to her that he can't help her walk again.
** Frank, Oz's assistant back in Kansas. He's devoted to Oz despite Oz being an outright {{Jerkass}} to him. And then he watches Oz get sucked into the tornado and we never hear from him again.
** Glinda. Between having her father killed, being framed for his murder, and getting tortured by the wicked witches in the climax of the movie, she's been through a lot.
** Theodora. A kindhearted, young, innocent girl who only remained neutral to keep peace between two feuding witches and in Oz. She's tricked into becoming evil against her own will by her own sister, who exploits her passionate love for the hero. She clearly is under the influence of magic while evil, and yet the people of Oz hate her, unaware of all this.
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