Movie Review: The Tin Man: the movie spin off of the Wizard of Oz
This week, I watched the Tin Man, a mini-series which attempts a new interpretation of the Wizard of Oz. Before I tell you my thoughts, let me warn you about my biases.
I should say at the outset that The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies as a child and I own all 40 of the oz books (yes, there were 40 of them officially released). I've even seen many of the Wizard of Oz spin-off movies including Return to Oz, Journey Back to Oz, and the Lion of Oz. I even read and enjoyed the book Wicked.
Now, if you are still interested in my opinion, let me tell you that I really, really enjoyed the Tin Man. It is much darker than the Wizard of Oz. This is not an oz for kids. There are no happy munchkins singing and dancing. The witch is scarier and meaner here. In fact, I would say the special effects regarding the witch make this version inappropriate for young children.
Still, I think that this version works surprisingly well. I would say that it is one of the best fantasy movies I have seen in a long time. For me, each of the characters work. The star of this movie, in my opinion, is the wicked witch. She is played by two actresses: Kathleen Robertson and Karin Konovol. Both actresses do an amazing job and Kathleen Robertson steals the entire movie in her portrayal. This is a truly wicked witch. Also, excellent are Alan Cumming as Glitch (the scarecrow-like character), Zooey Deschanel as DG, Neal McDonough as Cain (the tinman-like character), and Blu Mankuma as Tutor (the toto-inspired character). Zooey Deschanel is very different from Elf, the previous movie that I had seen with her. In fact, I enjoyed Elf but I enjoyed this movie more. I'd tell you more about each of the characters but I don't want to spoil any of the surprises.
The movie will work fine for people who have never seen the Wizard of Oz but it will work especially well for people who have seen the original movie. Nothing is as it seems in the O.Z. Every aspect of the movie has been reinvented. Don't be so sure who will live and who will die.
This is a long movie. I watched it over 3 days. The total running time is 264 minutes. It consists of 3 parts. I found it very compelling so I was not bothered at all by the length.
So, if you like a good adventure movie and are willing to suspend your disbelief. This is a fun return to O.Z. For fantasy fans, this is a must see.