The Worst Film Ever

Absolutely brilliant

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

This is a review of the close to 3 hour miniseries and not the considerably shorter theatrical release. The Witches of Oz is written and directed by Leigh Scott, a man who cut his teeth working at The Asylum, and if you're familiar with their work then alarm bells should already be ringing. It sees an older Dorothy realising that the stories she writes of Oz are actually all true, and now the wicked witch is in our world to try and take over. AAAHHHH! This film is both ambitious and terrible for the most part. The first episode deals with painfully unfunny slapstick and cartoon caricatures. The second episode turned into an all out battle and tried to be a lot darker. The film has its ups and downs. The likes of Lloyd and Henriksen give great performances as they usually do, especially Hendrcksen who has a lot of experience in no budget territory. But we also have two Lord Of The Rings alumni trying hard not to die of embarrassment on screen. It's hard to tell with Astin and Boyd whether they are simply giving bad performances on purpose or if Jackson was just a much better director when dealing with actors. No doubt these two looked around the set and couldn't believe what their (I'm guessing by now, former) agents had gotten them into. Still, it's hard not to admire Scott's ambition and vision. He uses practical and computer effects well, and some of the designs are pretty cool, especially the Tin-Man. It obviously has designs on being a big epic fantasy, but it's impossible to take it seriously. I hear the hour shorter director's cut has better effects and is better concerning the pacing. There's certainly enough to make a child friendly kids TV special, maybe at the 70-80 minute mark, but I wouldn't sit through the whole thing again.

I am a huge fan of the original L. Frank Baum books, and this movie admittedly does not follow the source material very well. The movie has many effects, which are low budget, but very imaginative, and it is clear real effort has been put in. The cinematography, art direction, lighting, and score are all beautiful. To all the people complaining about how the book doesn't follow the original books, just try to suspend your disbelief! The story is still very strong, and the 3 hours gives time for both character development and action/special effects. I personally love the acting, even though it is at times cartoonish. Oz itself is a fantasy, so the acting should not be as subtle as a different, darker film. Most of the actors are relatively new, and hopefully this will lead to new and exciting opportunities for all involved, including famed B-movie director Leigh Scott.

Dorothy Gale (Paulie Rojas) discovers that her best selling novels are actually based on suppressed childhood memories of her time in Oz, and that she may be in danger of experiencing it all over again.This film follows in the footsteps of "Alice", the 2-episode miniseries on SyFy that put "Alice in Wonderland" in a modern setting. Despite my strong dislike of almost all Alice adaptations, I enjoyed that. I feel much less about this one.There are some strong points here: a generally likable story, an excellent cast (with Christopher Lloyd, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Ethan Embry, his holiness Jeffrey Combs and more) and a nice blend of elements from the original stories (I appreciate making the slippers silver rather than ruby).But the down side is its 1400 visual effects. The film was stronger when it was not using poor computer animation and had less makeup. The Wicked Witch could have looked human the whole time -- there was no purpose in having her transform. None. And it does not need to be three hours. Trimming this down to two would make it a much stronger film, especially in scenes with an excess of conversation.There is rumored to be a director's cut with footage removed, the effects redone and more. I strongly suspect if this film exists that it is the better version.

I was expecting garbage and I was surprised. Owing that this movie came out of SyFy's stables, I thought it was going to be a bunch of CGI trash. I was quite wrong. While the acting is not strong at times, I think that is because the writing is a little flat. Some of the Acting is quite hammy at times, and over the top. Sprinkle in a judicious use of munchkins, and other baddies and I guess it balances out. Some of the prop work and costumes are pretty cool. Christopher Lloyds outfit is spot on Steampunk at it's best, as well as The Tin Woodsman prop works. Some of the City EFX, are lacking, as mentioned the lightning is a little lame. I guess all in all though, it was worth a watch, and could be viewed by the kiddies.