When I heard the Sci-Fi channel was remaking the Wizard of Oz. I cringed. Sometimes they can put on some very cheap drivel. I think the monster flick with rubber pterodactyl puppet was a low point. This is better. I’ve seen versions on stage, silent film, cartoons and now TV. This is an inventive retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic fable.

There is the usual subtext that has made this story of favorite with LGBT viewers. To raise one eyebrow, Dorothy is DG, a waitress/biker in Kansas. To raise the other eyebrow, Alan Cumming is Glitch, the scarecrow without a brain. The Tin Man is a Clint Eastwood lawman reminiscent of Hang ‘Em High. The Cowardly Lion is an empath named Raw. Richard Dreyfuss plays the Wizard, now called the Mystic Man. The dog Toto is now a shape shifting snitch.

Taking a page from Wicked, another retelling, Oz is under the totalitarian yoke of Dorothy’s sister, possessed by some ancient evil witch. She has tattoos that monkeys literally fly out of. Everyone is after an emerald instead of ruby slippers.

The production values are supplied by the Halmi family. You may know them from their fine versions of Gulliver’s Travels and the Odyssey. The special effects and locations help pull this off. There is a certain Steampunk look to the wardrobe and sets.

I recommend this version.

Copyright 2007 DJ Cline All rights reserved.

Posted by dj in Reviews, Television [734 Views]