This six-hour SCI FI Channel miniseries reworks L. Frank Baum's WIZARD OF OZ into a darker adult adventure, which transports a young woman into the mysterious Outer Zone known as the O.Z. Overcoming some clunky moments, the story clips along on good performances and the inherent desire of the audience to see how the next element of the OZ world will be reworked.
DG (Zooey Deschanel, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY) is a bored 19-year-old girl who dreams of something bigger in life than living on her parents' farm and working at the local diner. However, unbeknownst to her, she holds a key role in the future of the O.Z., where Sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson, BEVERLY HILLS 90210) is trying to locate a powerful emerald, which will give her the ability to plunge the realm into complete darkness. After a storm transports DG into the O.Z., she befriends Glitch (Alan Cummings, X2), the former advisory to the queen, whose brain was removed for knowing too much. Along the way, she will also meet Cain (Neal McDonough, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS), a former Tin Man (aka the police of the O.Z.) and Raw (Raoul Trujillo, APOCALYPTO), a lion-like psychic whose overly kind heart makes him very fearful. As DG tries to uncover the secrets of her past, the foursome must find the emerald before Azkadellia.
Deschanel's dry wit fits this post-modern Dorothy well. As the comic relief, Cummings hits the film's best lines, while still making the more obvious jokes humorous. McDonough is given the title character role, which is an interesting twist on the character. The cool law enforcer is just, despite a tragic past that could have made him bitter and vengeful. His story fits nicely in with DG's theme of finding her true home. While Trujillo's character is a 180 from his role in Mel Gibson's Mayan adventure, his character is the least interesting, having little to do until its time for him to make a change in character. As for Azkadellia, the character is a collection of villainess clichés until about midway through the second episode when a twist on the character is presented that is a nice surprise, adding more emotional weight to the conclusion. Another notable performance comes from Richard Dreyfuss (JAWS) as the doped up Mystic Man (aka Wizard of Oz).
While not the production values one expects from a theatrical release, the film's world is brought lavishly to life as a cross between WILLOW, DARK CITY and the WIZARD OF OZ we know. The visual effects work is solid for TV, with some impressive character animation when it comes to the Sorceress's bat monkeys. While the costume design is derivative of decades of sci-fi films, the settings and backgrounds reminded me of a Howard David Johnson illustration with its fantasy setting in bold, lush colors.
Over the course of three two-hour installments, the story picks up steam. The beginning of episode two drags its feet with some misdirections that only the youngest viewer in the audience will be fooled by. Despite some bumps along the yellow brick road, the entertaining adventure keeps the viewers' attention throughout its fantastic journey. TIN MAN puts an interesting new twist on the concept of "there's no place like home."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
