A lot of people dislike this movie.
I suspect people came into the theater with inflated expectations. I would instead urge you to go back to the classic film: it told a simple story with a vivid palette of characters in a rich, colorful fantasy world. That is exactly what Oz, the Great and Powerful does.
You likely already know the premise: a young man is swept into the land of Oz, where he must fight a wicked witch.
More importantly, the movie centers on the hero’s choice. Our protagonist gets himself into trouble, then he has to decide what to do. He could turn his back on the whole situation at any time.
The actors admirably and accurately portray their intentionally one-dimensional characters. L. Frank Baum wrote simple characters; he created archetypes. That’s what you’ll get in the film.
The end of a film like this should include at least one moment where the viewer pumps a fist into the air and yells “Yeah!” That happened for me.
It’s a kid’s film, and a beautiful one.