Oz, The Great and Powerful presents itself as the prequel to the classic The Wizard of Oz, though whether it is as great or powerful as it needs to be to stand alongside the original is up to the viewer. Sure, it's based on the same series of children's books by L. Frank Baum that the original is, and directed by Sam Raimi, best known for doing the earliest Spider-Man trilogy and Evil Dead series, but it still flounders against these lofty expectations of Hollywood royalty. 

The early film adaptation The Wizard of Oz begins with the young Dorothy landing in the Land of Oz after a cyclone sweeps her away from her home in Kansas. Dorothy travels to the Emerald City to find the Wizard of Oz, whom she believes has the power to get her back home.

James Franco plays the young Oz, or Oscar Digs, who starts out as a low-brow, seedy magician in Kansas. Perhaps this can be said of Franco's performance throughout the film, which does not do much to titillate. He's a womanizer of sorts, but his lifeless charm is as effective as the magic tricks he performs in the beginning. (Nevertheless, the high-tech effects bring the film to life).

Oz's early years intersect with Dorothy's. Oz is part of a carnival in a gloomy Kansas. Following a performance where he makes someone levitate and disappear, a crippled girl in the audience begs Oz to give her walking abilities, offering him all the money her family has. Oz stutters about why he can't do this, until he is booed off stage.

After the show, he tells his adoring female friend (Michelle Williams) - who is, for some inexplicable reason, quite into him - that he is a fraud. He also doesn't want to be a good man. He wants to be a great one.

"Harry Houdini and Thomas Edison all rolled into one," he says.

Shortly after this wistful declaration, Oz finds himself in a tricky situation and makes a quick escape in a hot air balloon. But Oz realizes with horror that his balloon is flying straight into a tornado.

"Please, I don't want to die. I haven't accomplished anything yet!" he cries as he is sucked into the vortex.

Oz doesn't die and instead awakens to find himself transported into a saturated wonderland of color, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets Avatar, with large, lush plants and small flying creatures that resemble a hybrid of Tinkerbell and E.T. There are also ominous, growling and boorish creatures that emerge from nowhere and threaten the otherwise peaceful landscape. Oz swiftly defeats the creatures with a simple magic trick, impressing yet another woman (a witch, this time), Theodora (Mila Kunis).

Theodora is not the only witch that Oz encounters and subsequently woos: there's also Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams again). Zach Braff lends his voice to Finley, a flying monkey.

The film goes on to explore how the witches turn good and evil and how Oz becomes the overlord of a kingdom.

What drives a person to reach greatness is usually intriguing, but what is missing in this film is the motive and a character development behind Oz. Nonetheless, it's worth watching in theaters, as part of the fun is the magical shift from black and white to color, drab to fab. 

The film debuts on Beijing screens Friday, following its US premiere March 8.