Return to Oz Review
A dark fantasy-adventure, Return to Oz follows in the tone of the original L._Frank_Baum books, -Ozma of Oz and -Land of Oz, rather than posing as a sequel to the classic of all family films, The Wizard of Oz. While seeming pretty creepy for younger viewers, older audiences may just be disturbed at the faded post-apocalyptic settings and bleak story when compared to the cheery and bright Technicolor of the 1939 Judy_Garland Hollywood version. Opting for depressing and evil characters in lieu of the beloved simple types of the first is only one example of how a comparison puts this new version at a disadvantage. However, Return to Oz is stylistically compelling, doing its best to cinematically render Baum's original character drawings of the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. Will_Vinton (creator of the stop-motion California Raisins) did some award-winning work on some of the creatures and special effects. By avoiding the musical genre trappings and casting a Dorothy (Fairuza_Balk, in her first screen role) of actual kid age, it doesn't seem to patronize the youth audience with sugar-coated moralizing. Not known for his work in family entertainment anyway, writer/director Walter_Murch previously worked as an editor and sound designer for Apocalypse_Now and The_Godfather. By offering a family-friendly way into a nightmare fantasy, Return to Oz is one of the few creature-laden '80s movies that allowed curious kids to venture into the dark side. Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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