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The MovieWhen this movie first came out, I was 7 and thought the reviewers were just being mean. How could they possibly be able to review a movie geared toward children I naively thought. I was wrong. This is NOT a movie for young children. No one sings, no one dances, and we find out that Dorothy didn't live happily ever after the first time. The movie (based on the second and third Oz books: The Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz) takes place after Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) has returned to the Kansas farm of her Aunt Em (Piper Laurie) and Uncle Henry (Matt Clark). The farm is a mess, having been hit by that darn tornado during which Henry broke his leg so he can't fix the house or the barn. Although, as Em points out to Dorothy when she sympathizes with her uncle's position, It's mended. Meanwhile, Dorothy keeps talking of Oza journey her aunt and uncle don't believe she ever madeand finds a key in the barn with the letters OZ on it. She thinks her friends sent it to her because they need her help. Her relatives, worried about her constant daydreams and nightmares about this strange land, send her for electroshock therapy (a plot development added in by writer/director Walter Murch) with scary Dr. J.B. Worley (Nicol Williamson) and creepy Nurse Wilson (Jean Marsh). While Dorothy is strapped to a table at the doctor's office, she is visited by the beautiful Ozma, who unties her and helps her get to Ozas Dorothy is the only one who can help. When Dorothy gets to Oz, she discovers her friends have been turned to stone, the Yellow Brick Road has been torn up, the evil Princess Mombi (also played by Marsh) has taken the heads of the former beauties of Oz so she can get a real extreme makeover, and the tyrannical Nome King (a claymation character voiced by Williamson) is now in charge. Since her former friends are no use, she teams up with Billina the talking chicken, a gump's head (think of the wall figures from the Country Bear Jamboree), Jack Pumpkinhead (a sweet throwback to the Scarecrow), and the mechanical Tik-Tok. Will Dorothy and her friends thwart the evildoers and prove that she isn't crazy? Can a monkey fly? The GoodiesIf you want to see what Fairuza Balk thinks about the character of Dorothy or how she landed the role, then you might enjoy Fairuza Balk Returns to Oz. The interview with the actress was from 1999, apparently in honor of the movie's 15th anniversary. Balk's quirky facial expressions and mouth movements, though cute when she was 10, come through as creepy via the strange camera angles used during the interview. I would have loved an interview with Jean Marsh or Piper Laurie, or even something from the special effects side since, in spite of the strange plot, some of the effects are quite creative. If you miss the mediocre quality of mid-1980s television, you will probably find something nostalgic about the four TV spots (some of which are aired as if they came directly from the storyboard). The trailer is a much better way to see what the finished product looks like if you don't have the time or desire to watch the entire thing. The Video, Audio and InterfaceThe video for this movie was not cleaned up at all. The colors came through as dull and dark, even when the movie went over the rainbow. The film has slight scratches that could become distracting if you let them. If there was any restoration, it was time wasted. I watched the movie in my aunt's family room with surround sound, but it didn't sound like it. The background music is crisp, but it tended to drown out the dialogue here and there throughout the film. The main menu is the Emerald City; the bonus features have the ruby slippers in the background, but nothing special happens when you hit any of the selections. There is no special music or features. It would have been cute if the heels clicked when you selected something, but the original Wizard of Oz might have already claimed it. The Final EvaluationIf you or your teens have never seen this movie and are real Oz lovers, rent itdon't buy it. If your younger kids love the original, have them read the books in the Oz series (or read to them) instead so their memories of the 1939 classic aren't tarnished. If you really want to learn more about the world of Oz, I'd spend the money on the book and CD of Gregory Maguire's Wicked. Return to Oz was one Disney movie that should have stayed in the vault. |
 
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