Oz: The Great And Powerful (2013)

Plot

The film opens in Kansas in 1905. Everything is shot in black-and-white. Oscar Diggs, called Oz by everyone, is a circus magician, but is so vain he pretends he can actually do magic. He has tricked a girl into working with him for free because she likes him. He gives her a music box that he says was given to him by his deceased grandmother (this is a lie). At the stage show, Oz wows the audience with "magic," but when a young girl asks Oz to heal her legs, Oz gives an implausible excuse about "bad spirits" in the air, and is booed off stage.

Oz has a fight with his assistant Frank, who disapproves of Oz's unethical behavior. Oz tells Frank he doesn't need a friend.

Oz's sort-of girlfriend Wanda visits. Wanda says she has received a marriage proposal from a man named John Gale (implied to be Dorothy Gale from the original Wizard of Oz's future father). Wanda says she hasn't given an answer yet because she loves Oz. Oz tells her to marry Gale because he is a good man. Wanda says that Oz is too, but Os replies he doesn't want to be a good man (like his father, who worked hard every day with little reward); he wants to be a great one. Oz asks Wanda if she understands. Wanda says "I do. But do you?"

The circus strongman, who's wife Oz seduced or at least made out with, attacks Oz. Oz flees in a hot air balloon that is partially his. The balloon gets sucked into a tornado. Oz begs God to not let him die, because he "hasn't accomplished anything yet."

Oz lands in a beautiful fantasy world (shot in color). Everything is gorgeous and other-worldly. After nearly dying when his balloon sinks and enters a waterfall, Oz crawls out of the water and meets a beautiful woman named Theodora. Theodora says Oz is in a place called Oz. After seeing Oz come from the sky, she is awestruck. Oz does a magic trick on her, which makes her think he is an actual wizard. She says that a prophecy has said a wizard would come and free Oz from a wicked witch who keeps attacking villages and wants to conquer the kingdom. She asks Oz if he is that wizard. Oz says he is.

Theodora and Oz are attacked by flying baboons that Theodora says was sent by the witch, but Oz manages to use a magic trick to make them chase a dove instead. Theodora says she is a witch as well as the queen of the Emerald City. Oz and Theodora dance together that night and kiss. Oz gives Theodora a music box and tells the fake grandmother story, Theodora believes it.

The next morning, Oz and Theodora find a winged, talking monkey trapped in vines. Oz frees it, but who had seen the captured monkey runs up. Oz scares it off with exploding powder. The monkey, named Finley swears a life-debt to Oz, saying he will be his faithful servant.

As they go to the city, Theodora says she can't wait for Oz to wed her. Oz obviously has no intention of marrying Theodora. He confessed to Finley that he isn't the wizard.

Oz and Theodora enter the Emerald City, where much of the buildings, roads, and fauna are made of real emeralds. Oz enters the throne room and meets Theodora's sister, Evanora. Once he leaves to his new bedroom, Evanora says to her sister that she doesn't believe he is the wizard. Evanora then accuses Theodora of working with the wicked witch. She says that "deep down" Theodora is "wicked." Enraged, Theodora conjures a fireball that destroys a priceless vase.

Evanora finds Oz and shows him the treasury, which is filled with gold. She says it will all be his once he kills the witch. Oz is frightened and says he doesn't want to kill "a woman." Evanora says that it is in the prophecy so if he is really the wizard he has to do it. She then tells him he will find the witch at dusk in a cemetery several miles away. He needs to break her wand. Oz leaves without even saying goodbye to Theodora.

Oz, with Finley, are traveling to the cemetery when they see a city burning in the distance. Finley flies to help, and Oz reluctantly accompanies him. The city, China Town, was made out of giant tea sets and all the inhabitants were made of china. Tragically, they have all been smashed to pieces. Oz finds the sole survivor, a young girl (played by the same actress who was the crippled girl in Kansas). As all the China people are very small, this girl is only about a food tall.

The girl, simply called China Girl or China Doll, tells Oz that everyone was celebrating in the streets at the wizard's return when the witch's baboons attacked. China Girl can't escape because her legs were broken off. Oz comforts China and uses glue to fix it (she is made out of china).

China Girl insists on accompanying Oz and Finley. The trio reach the dark forest where the cemetery is that night. After being attacked by carnivorous trees, they find the city. Sure enough, a cloaked figure with a wand is there. When the figure puts down the wand, Finley distracts it so Oz can steal it. However, the lady sees Oz, Finley, and China Girl. Removing her hood, Oz sees she looks like Wanda from his home town.

The lady says her name is Glinda. She says she didn't kill her father like everyone says, but Evanora--who is the true wicked witch--framed her. Oz gives back the wand.

In a magic crystal ball, Evanora sees that Oz is now allied with Glinda. As she rages, Theodora walks in. Evanora makes up a story that Oz seduced her and has now run off to marry Glinda (who Theodora beleives is the evil witch). As proof, Evanora shows Theodora a music box she swiped from Oz. While most of what she is saying are lies, there is some truth: Oz was manipulating and seducing Theodora, and never really loved her. Theodora is heartbroken.

Evanora goes to her secret army of flying baboons and eight foot tall men and orders them to go kill Glinda and Oz.

Oz insists to Glinda that he really is the wizard. The two are talking when Evanora's soldiers attack. They are able to escape when Glinda conjures up a magical fog and flies Oz, China Doll, and herself away in bubbles (Finley flies with them). She takes Oz to a picturesque city she is queen of. Its inhabitants are mostly a simple race of human-like beings that are farmers, but also has tall, thin, bearded beings known as Tinkers and short, cheerful creatures known as Munchkins. After Oz triumphantly proclaims himself the wizard, he takes Glinda aside and confesses the truth. Glinda says she knew that, but her people don't, and they need a wizard.

Theodora is crying. Since her magic witch heart is now full of anger, her tears burn her face. Evanora offers to make it go away by feeding her an apple that will kill her soul. Theodora agrees. After eating it, she is able to see that Evanora is the real wicked witch. She then transforms into a green, monstrous witch herself. Evanora says that she can use an enchantment to hide it, but Theodora says she wants the wizard to see what he made her.

Using their combined magic, Evanora and Theodora are able to briefly punch a whole in Glinda's town's force-field. Theodora storms in and announces to the townspeople she will come back with an army and kill them all. She then finds Oz and tells her it is all his fault. She uses telekinesis to force him to dance like her puppet before riding off on a broomstick.

Glinda says she wants Oz to lead her army. However, seeing that Glinda's people are very good but a little simple and are physically unable to kill (they aren't real humans), he says he can't. As he packs up to leave, China Girl comes in and asks him to tuck her into bed like her father used to. As Oz does so, China asks him if he can grant wishes like the old wizard, because she wants her family back. Oz says he can't, because he "isn't that kind of wizard." China asks him what his world's wizards are like, and Oz says the greatest is Thomas Alva Edison who created lightbulbs and movies with a force called electricity. China asks Oz if he is that kind of wizard, and Oz says he "would like to be." China Doll says she can tell that he is.

Oz goes to Glinda and says he is going to use illusions to win the war. He devices a battle strategy and gives directions on gadgets to build to Master Tinker. He then leaves to go to sneak into the Emerald City with one of Glinda's spies: Knuck, the Royal Herald, who is a Munchkin. Unlike the other Munchkins, Knuck is perpetually UNhappy. As he leaves, Glinda tells Oz he really is a great wizard. Oz then says that he must have them all fooled. Glinda replies the only one he has fooled is himself.

A cloud of fog covers the poppy field that is on one side of the Emerald City. Giant shapes begin moving through it. Theodora and Evanora order their flying baboons to kill them, but it is a trap. The shapes were simply mechanical scarecrows. The baboons inhale the poppy fumes and fall into eternal sleep. However, the last of them capture Glinda. As she is carried off, Glinda drops her wand. China Girl retrieves it.

Theodora spies Oz, who is now in the city after being smuggled in by Knuck, loading a hot air balloon he had Master Tinker build with gold from the treasury. She then goes to the town square to the public execution of Glinda. Evanora is torturing Glinda in front of an enraged crowd, who have started to believe Glinda's claims that Evanora is the wicked witch. Just as Glinda is about to be executed, the balloon flies over. Theodora says that they now can all see the wizard is a fraud and she blows it up.

However, it was all part of the plan. Using fake smoke and a few small explosions, Master Tinker is able to project Oz's head onto the fog they have put where the balloon crashed. The head is enlarged and fearsome. Oz says that he is now more powerful than ever. After fireworks light the sky, Evanora begins to think he is a real wizard and flees like a little bitch. Theodora doesn't believe this, but doesn't know exactly how he is projecting his head and is thus unable to hurt him. Enraged she tries to kill Glinda instead, but China Doll has sneaking into the city and given Glinda her wand. Glinda is able to break free. Theodora rides off on her broom. Oz calls out that he knows her transformation wasn't her doing and if she "ever again finds the goodness in her heart" she can return, but Theodora shouts back "NEVER!" Oz feels genuine sorrow over this.

Glinda and the fleeing Evanora meet in the throne room. After Evanora sucker magic punches Glinda, the two battle with their magic. Glinda manages to break Evanora's emerald pendant, which depowers her. The magic spell hiding the inner monstrous form of Evanora is destroyed, and Evanora becomes a disgusting, mutated hag like her sister. She is carried off by her baboons. Evanora then becomes the Wicked Witch of the East and Theodora the Wicked Witch of the West.

Oz meets Master Tinker, Knuck, Finley, China Girl, and Glinda in the throne room. They are the only ones who actually know that he is still human. He shows them the projector system he has set up to make it look like he is a magic floating head. He then thanks them all and gives them each a gift. Master Tinker gets a gadget similar to a Swiss army knife. Knuck gets a cardboard mask with a smile because Oz wants him to be happy. Oz gives Finley his hat, saying Finley is his friend. China Doll gets the gift of a new family with Glinda. Oz then gives Glinda her gift: A kiss. Oz jokes that he guesses he really is a great man. Glinda replies that he is something better: A good one.