There’s no place like Oz – the weirdly wondrous land a ruby-slippered Judy Garland roamed with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion by her side. Almost 75 years later, the classic fantasy film’s characters, songs and bright yellow brick road still enchant giddy children and adults alike.

So when “Oz the Great and Powerful” barges back into L. Frank Baum’s magical world with an uninspired, run-of-the-mill family tale, it begs the question: What was the point?

Director Sam Raimi’s (“Spider-Man” trilogy) prequel is full of vivid, shimmering landscapes and charming CGI creatures, re-creating Oz with $215 million from Disney’s deep pockets. It brings back the would-be wizard, witches, munchkins and even the flying monkeys, but without any of the wonder.

“Oz” isn’t all bad. The black-and-white Kansas opening and tornado sequence are campy, nostalgic treats, with intermittent spurts of comedic wit peeking out amid the modern, technological dazzle.

Several performances are delectably entertaining, too, particularly Rachel Weisz as devious witch Evanora and Michelle Williams’ subtle warmth as angelic Glinda.

But the film’s predictable, muddled script is trying too hard, like its main character, to feign “greatness.” This prequel lacks the cleverness and vaudevillian enthusiasm of the hit Broadway musical “Wicked,” instead swaying unsteadily between over-sappy homage and Raimi’s own darker, horror-influenced re-imagination.

At its core, “Oz the Great and Powerful” is short on brains, courage and heart, all personified by the woefully miscast James Franco as Oz.

Franco isn’t a bad actor. On paper, he even looks like a decent replacement for Robert Downey Jr. who, tragically — for “Oz” and its audience — had to drop out. Franco’s diverse resume includes an Oscar nomination (“127 Hours”) and rebooting another beloved CGI-heavy franchise (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”).

Yet he’s painfully out of his depth as conniving circus illusionist Oscar Diggs, and his quirky, juvenile performance skews closer to Franco’s infamous Oscars hosting gig.

“Oz” opens on a traveling circus in 1905 Kansas as Diggs (Franco) dupes his unwitting audience with cheap parlor tricks and the help of thankless sidekick Frank (Zach Braff). After the show, an angry husband chases the womanizing Diggs into a hot-air balloon, flying with nothing but his top hat and bag of magic tricks into a vicious tornado.

Once there, he meets Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Weisz) and Glinda (Williams), and the selfish magician finds himself saving Oz from evil witches and their army of flying monkeys — resembling hulking gorilla gargoyles more than the original’s goofy, sneering henchmen.

Looming copyright threats kept “Oz” from adding ruby slippers, a detailed yellow brick road or any of Dorothy’s companions. So instead, Oz’s sidekicks are a dainty porcelain figure named China Girl (Joey King) and Finley (Braff), a loud-mouthed monkey in a bellhop uniform.

Braff’s generally enjoyable comedic presence is sadly overdone in this voice role, even testing the patience of a devoted “Scrubs” fan.

Another miscast is Kunis as Theodora, especially after her laughably over-the-top transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West. Weisz and Williams’ otherworldly screen presences dwarf Kunis’ down-to-earth girly charm, and her candy-green witch is about as convincing as her copycat cackling.

But the film’s shortcomings begin and end with Franco, whose acting wasn’t deep or emotive enough to overcome the wizard’s smug, unlikable persona. His performance relies on half-grinned charm and ironic shrugs, bumbling through the film as an immature jerk.

During the reasonably entertaining climax, during which Franco briefly fits the title role, the audience is already too sick and tired of him to care.

Certain scenes show flashes of what “Oz” could’ve been, like when Oz glues a sobbing China Girl’s porcelain legs back together in the ruins of a smoldering town. Even the Emerald City-set climax is madcap fun, forgiving the fact that Evanora and Glinda’s extravagant showdown rips off “Harry Potter” dueling and the Emperor’s force lightning from “Star Wars.”

Raimi and Franco’s bungled return to Oz is a decent family adventure, but when it comes down to it, decent doesn’t cut it. Ultimately, “Oz the Great and Powerful” did nothing to justify its unnecessary existence.

Published on March 20, 2013 at 9:10 pm

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