Oz The Great and Powerful Review

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I’m sure that just about everyone has watched The Wizard of Oz. It’s a living legend that everyone always hails as one of the all time classics. I can’t say that the original was that great (No real action and I’d only give it a 2-2.5/5) but it is definitely a film that I won’t forget. Making a prequel to that movie is pretty ambitious, but was the risk worth it?

Well, the film starts out as Oz is conning people with his magic tricks. He loves his work and people give him a couple of coins. He’s not a great magician and he is quickly discovered to be a fake. He’s a pretty awful protagonist and proceeds to flirt with as many people as he can. Someone tries to beat him up, so Oz makes a break for the balloon and gets in. You’re actually left wishing that they had knocked him out and taken him to jail, but maybe he’ll still get defeated once he’s in the land of Oz.

Once he makes it to Oz, he meets one of the Witches, Theodora. He tricks her into thinking that he’s the magician of legend and eagerly awaits his gold. They travel for a while and he keeps on saving the day by accident. Oz also suckers Finley into becoming his slave for life. Once Oz makes it to the castle, they tell him that he will need to slay Glinda, The Wicked Witch of the South. Oz doesn’t want to do it since the danger is high, but he’ll do anything for gold. He heads on his way and is ready to slay the witch!

Well, Oz is definitely one of the worst main characters in a while. He’s like a junior Captain Kirk or James Bond. He never really gets what’s coming to him and the film tries to portray him a hero by the end. I really hope that nobody fell for this trap. He hasn’t changed at all and will keep on acting the same way, only now he is rich as well. He’s a character that makes you wince whenever he’s on screen.

Glinda, Theodora, and Evanora are the three witches of the film. All of them are played for fools by Oz and it’s a bit embarrassing. They have actual powers, but once Oz summons up a little light and magic, one of them makes a hasty retreat, while the other one flies off into the distance. I guess Oz is a very fearsome individual eh?

The film doesn’t really have much of a soundtrack, but most live action films are lacking one as well. The fight scene at the end was decently good, (Even if the movement was a little fake) but having one fight scene can’t save an entire film. It was a decent film and I’d recommend it if you have always wanted to see a movie about Oz, but it wrecks his character from the original. If you want to see a classic reborn into the modern world, check out Yugioh Bonds Beyond Time!

Overall 4/10

Wolverine and The Xmen Volume 5 Review

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20 years ago, I’m sure that nobody would have wanted Wolverine to be the leader of an Xmen school. He’s better as a loner right? Well, he may be the Principal at the school, but he’s still a bit of a loner as well. For the most part, he’s not with the school until the end, but on his own hunting for the Hellfire Club.

After Broo was defeated in the last issue, Wolverine has decided to track down his assailant, no matter what the cost. Unfortunately, the kids have psychically shielded themselves and can erase their scents thanks to nano machines. In another plot, Beast is talking to several geniuses about how they can help Broo. Reed Richards and Tony Stark offer solutions, but Beast is always one step ahead of them. I think the author may be overestimating his intellect, or underestimating Stark and Richard’s. It was an interesting subplot, but I always wince when they have to resort to asking someone else. Between Stark and Richard’s, they should know just about everything.

In another plot, Angel decides to go and find some mutants. The first one on the list is Shark Girl. Mystique and Silver Samurai 2 randomly show up and decide to fight. Angel has some new abilities so he does pretty well and Shark Girl has the upper hand against Mystique. For once, things are looking good for the heroes. Finally, in another subplot, Shadow Cat is trying to hire a new teacher, but it becomes difficult when Deadpool and Spiderman appear to shake things up.

Later on, the Xmen get mind controlled by a witch and she forces them to perform circus stunts. I have to say that I don’t agree with this at all. Wolverine has plenty of mental blocks in his head and Rachel Summers is an incredibly powerful telepath. There’s no way that the Witch could overpower that. It was definitely sad for the Xmen and they had to wait for the Xkids to come to their rescue.

Meanwhile Frankenstein’s monster is also on the loose. He’s after the last of the Frankenstein lineage, but can he defeat the kid? The kid has his pet robots, but they aren’t very powerful. The kid must team up with one of the Xmen (Oya) to take him down. Will it prove to be too much for them?

Well, a lot happened in this collection and we learned that you should never trust the Circus. Some characters weren’t handled so well like Mystique and Silver Samurai 2. I usually like the new Silver Samurai, but I couldn’t stand him in this one. His character personality seemed pretty weird and he was very weak. Mystique also seemed to lose most of her intellect and started a battle that she shouldn’t have. She usually has a plan to fall back on, but not this time.

Wolverine is decently good for the beginning, but seeing him get brainwashed was pretty sad. I still don’t buy it. Wolverine tries to stay strong and even resists the beer, (With help) but the ending was pretty rushed. The romance with Storm at the end wasn’t really needed and wrecked both characters. What happened to professionalism? Storm also wasn’t that good in this comic.

So who was a good character? Deadpool and Spiderman were pretty epic, but they were guest stars so I guess they wouldn’t really count. Blade also had a (Very out of character) cameo, which was pretty intense. I have to say that Angel may have been the best character. In this comic, he finally set a goal for himself and he’s using his new powers to their full potential. Now, he doesn’t need to just keep dodging until the opponent gets tired, but counter attack and win with raw power.

I still can’t say that I like the Hellfire Club. None of the kids are very interesting and while they all talk really tough, (Get ready for two kids threatening each other, over and over and over..) I can’t take them seriously. Frankenstein’s Monster isn’t a really interesting villain either.

The art in the comic was decently good. This artist is a “splasher” so when someone gets punched, he’ll immediately have little webs of blood on him. I never fully understood the concept, but the art is still pretty solid for the most part. Not the greatest art, but still a bit higher than average.

Overall, this is a pretty good Xmen comic. It may not be extremely high on action, but you’ll at least get references to AVX and past comics. Angel gets a fight and I’m sure that more fights are around the corner. Contrary to what the cover may suggest, Frankenstein’s monster doesn’t do so well against Wolverine. The character cast may not have been my favorite, but you don’t need to enjoy the characters to like the comic right? Thanks to the art and the fast pacing of the story, you’ll find yourself reading through until the end.

Overall 7/10

The Man of Steel Mxy’s Magical Mayhem Review

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Mxyzptlk has always been one of Superman’s trickier foes. Superman can’t really stop him unless he gets the guy to say his name backwards. That’s just about impossible to do against the average joe, but luckily Mr Mxyzptlk isn’t that smart. Still, can he hold his own for an entire book against the Man of Steel?

This is the longest Superman book so far and nearly reached 100 pages. We get to see a lot more of Clark Kent than usual as Mr Mxyzptlk keeps messing with him. Mr Mxyzptlk makes Clark Kent late to work, kick over a chair, spill some water, and even makes the world forget about Superman. Superman tries to prove himself to the world, but they’re too skeptical. Superman realizes that he must stop Mr Mxyzptlk and also stop all of his pranks before someone gets hurt. Mr Mxyzptlk has turned the town fair’s rides into giant animals that are wrecking havok on the world. One hero may not be enough this time!

It was a pretty fun book and it’s always good to see Superman use his brains to solve the situations. Superman’s a solid protagonist and he’s someone that you find yourself rooting for. Early on, he reminds the readers that he’s Superman and he is able to do everything at super speed. The other characters weren’t that great in this comic. Once Kent starts getting out of control, they should suspect that something’s up. In Metropolis, things like this happen all of the time. It would have been nice to see Lois or Perry suspect that something was up and get their own subplot. Maybe if the book were a bit longer.

Mr Mxyzptlk is still really mean to Superman, but we never really understand why. He seems to just be like a kid who wants to have a little fun. I guess, watching Superman mess up can be fun, but it must get old after a while. As far as villains go, Mr Mxyzptlk isn’t my favorite and I don’t think that he’s meant to hold his own book. A role as a supporting villain would work better I believe.

Overall, this was a pretty fun Superman book. The ending was very abrupt, (Only a few lines after the villain is defeated) but it was still satisfying. If you’re a Superman fan, or just like to read a quick/fun story, then you’ve come to the right book. I’d definitely recommend this title.

Overall 7/10

Luffy vs Dorry

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Dorry may be a giant, but Luffy’s taken on several giant opponents. Dorry’s raw power won’t be able to keep up with Luffy’s speed. Not to mention that Luffy is a power hitter as well. Dorry won’t be winning this round, but at least he gave it his all. Today was a pretty solid day for Luffy and he scored several wins. Luffy wins.

Fullbody vs Sanji

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Fullbody may have some pretty decent punches, but they won’t be enough to stop Sanji. Sanji is an expert at using his legs to fight and he’s defeated many promising fighters in the past. Fullbody won’t be able to keep up with his speed or raw power and takes a solid loss in this battle. Maybe one day he’ll be back. Sanji wins.

Luffy vs Mohji

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Mohji was never one of Luffy’s tougher opponents and he would definitely go down quickly. Luffy just needs one Gomu Gomu Punch to take him down. Mohji can try to run, but Luffy also possesses incredible speed and would catch him pretty quickly. Mohji drops down the blog ranks with this loss. Luffy wins.

Luffy vs Zeff

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Zeff used to be a pretty powerful pirate back in the day, but he’s grown old. He’s dangerous, but not even his prime self could defeat the one that they call Luffy. Luffy has dealt with many opponents over the years and taking Zeff down shouldn’t be too hard. This is the man who will become the Pirate King after all! Luffy wins.

Shanks vs Luffy

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Shanks is a pretty powerful pirate and he was able to keep up with Whitebeard. It’s a pretty impressive feat, but he hasn’t gotten a chance to fight for real as of yet. Luffy has shown his abilities many times and I think it’s safe to say that he’s caught up to Shanks. Luffy does have his Gear 2 form after all. Luffy wins.

Luffy vs Boodle

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Boodle may have been the mayor, but that wasn’t enough to stop Luffy. Luffy is a rubberman and attacks don’t affect him as much as they would against an ordinary human. Luffy also has heightened strength and speed, which enables him to challenge just about any fighter. Boodle won’t be able to win this round. Luffy wins.