Very well executed

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Nobody dares re-make the 1939 Wizard of Oz classic directly, but there have been several loose adaptations of it. Whether they be "re-maginings" or sequels, they keep on showing up every once in a while, and are almost invariably much darker than the original. This movie follows that pattern.This time the Tin Man is an Indy Jones type cop, the Cowardly Lion looks almost the same but he's a psychic/mystic. The scarecrow looks like a copy of Michael Jackson's version in "The Whiz." Dorothy is now an adult known by her initials, DG. Other characters of the famous story are also re-imagined; it looks as though the adventure/fantasy has been given a make-over to be a sci-fi adventure.What strikes me first about this movie is how it is strong enough to stand on its own as an original concept, but seems preoccupied with referencing the Oz story. It doesn't appear to really be necessary, except as a novelty. It's as if the director is whispering loudly, "Can you catch all the references to Oz?" If anything, it's a bit distracting.The MJ clone is the only cast weakness, a poor comic relief that just gets on your nerves. Other than him, the acting is actually top-notch, with Zooey Deschanel providing a wonderful centerpiece as heroine DG, who is trying to prevent a cataclysmic disaster at the hands of her sister, who is now the misguided Queen of the realm. Some of the Queen's overstated tyrannical bantering sounds cliché, but the director is to blame for that, not the actress.Overall, a pretty well-executed production. The Oz connection only seems to be for name recognition to get you to watch it in the first place. The story preserves only trace elements of Oz, and really is an adventure all its own. Worth a watch.

This is one of those movies that can be broadcasted on TV by means of a mini series. It is indeed the Wizard of Oz retold but there are a lot of changes and it is much darker. The people who know the original story will certainly recognize the many references to it even if this one has a complete different story. It's not really suited for children, too dark but really refreshing too. All of the main characters of the original story are there: the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, even Toto and of course Dorothy. They are all there in a different form than what we remember from the original story. But still you recognize the original characters in them, which is good. The story is truly more captivating and elaborate than the original, and the characters are worked out well. The story and its characters have a lot of depth which should be normal considering the length. I do remember movies however that were long but still put less effort in plot and characters background. This one makes good use of the length. I could rave on about everything that is good about it. I think it's a must see for everyone who likes Wizard of Oz.

You could call it an obsession: I have fourteen of the original Oz children's books, a signed glossy from one of the actual Munchkins, a signed poster of the Broadway play 'Wicked' (which I've seen twice), the DVD release of 'The Wiz', and once I raise enough money I'll buy the DVD release of the original Wizard of OZ complete with classic black & white films done by the original Oz creator L. Frank Baum. So, when I say this was a good series, you can trust my judgment.A lot of weird interpretations have come out since the MGM film such as 'The Muppet's Wizard of Oz' and, god forgive us all, 'Lost Girls', but this film was actually respectful of the basic story and idea. Sure the story's a little shaky and the effects are sub-par but it's more than I expect from the infamously bad TV movie producing SciFi channel. It builds its own world while staying true to the form and I respect that.

I highly recommend this miniseries to anyone looking for something in the fantasy realm but still fresh and new. It's very original even though some (but very little) is borrowed from the original Oz. It has been called a steam punk variant of it: there's a lot of old but fantastic machines that really add a new flavor to the setting.The performances are all as excellent as they are effortless, as each character simply has been perfectly casted. Guys will adore the irresistibly big-eyed and cute Zooey Deschanel as main character DG while the male supporting cast is great too with variants of the original tin man (the title is a bit confusing since he's neither really of tin nor is he the main character), the lion and the scarecrow.It was simply a wonderful 3 hours of TV with great attention to detail, costumes, backdrops and pretty much everything else Only the animation was not Hollywood level but it was adequate.