A brainless Scarecrow, a heartless Tin-Man, and a Lion in need of courage: These were three of the many classic characters that came from the cherished “Oz” books by writer L. Frank Baum. “Oz The Great and Powerful,” directed by Sam Raimi (“Spider Man,” “Evil Dead”), is a prequel to the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.”

In “Oz The Great and Powerful,” an amateur magician named Oscar Diggs (James Franco) is trying to establish a career in showbiz in the circus. Things go horribly wrong when the audience realizes that Oscar’s tricks are fake and that he is not a real magician. Oscar then flees the circus scene immediately in a hot air balloon.

A tornado tears through Kansas, sucking in both Oscar and his hot air balloon. Oscar eventually awakens within the hot air balloon, but he is now floating into a colorful new world. He discovers, with the help of a witch named Theodora, that he is in a land called Oz. A prophecy states that a great wizard will one day appear in this world to defeat the wicked witch, bringing peace to Oz forever.

Conflict arises when everyone in Oz has a different opinion on which of the three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams) is the real “Wicked Witch” to be killed. Oscar must use natural illusions and magic tricks in order to stand a chance against The Wicked Witch, and become Oz’s Great Wizard.

“Oz The Great and Powerful” is a great prequel to the 1939 film. The visuals are stunning, as the yellow brick road and every detail of this world instantly pop out at the audience. The film also pays homage to several classic moments from the original “Wizard of Oz” film. The use of a black and white filter effect during the Kansas scenes is a good example of this. The film also beautifully establishes the world of Oz so that the viewers of this film will have a better understanding of the events of the original film.

Though this film truly is great and powerful, this new “Oz” film does exhibit some flaws while adventuring down the yellow brick road. Occasionally “Oz” can’t decide whether it wants to develop the original story or whether it wants to be a story full of twists and turns. If the narrative were more focused, this new film would have been greatly improved. There were some unusual writing choices in the film as well which don’t translate well into the original “Wizard of Oz” story set-up.

Viewers who loved the original “Wizard of Oz” and fans of Sam Raimi’s work should give “Oz The Great Powerful” a view. It is truly a spectacular prequel to one of the most beloved fantasy films of all-time.