The Witches of Oz [Blu-ray] [Import]

I had high hopes for this miniseries, After all, "Tin Man" is one of my favorite miniseries ever, and this one stars Billy Boyd, Sean Astin, Jeffrey Combs and Christopher Lloyd.

Sadly, "The Witches of Oz" is a massive misfire right from the beginning -- it tries to be both an epic, intense adventure story and a kid-friendly all-you-need-is-love fairy tale at the same time. Lloyd, Boyd and a handful of other actors do what little they can to salvage the story, but the hammy acting, bad CGI and slapworthy ending make it impossible.

Budding writer Dorothy Gale (Paulie Rojas) is stunned when prominent agent Billie Westbrook (Eliza Swenson) develops an interest in the Oz books she's been writing with her friend Allen (Ari Zagaris). Dorothy and Allen move to New York City, unaware that the Wicked Witch of the West and her head-swapping minion Princess Langwidere (Mia Sara) are plotting against her.

Specifically, they want a key to a magic book which Dorothy had when she returned from Oz many years ago. But Dorothy has forgotten about her time in Oz, so she can't remember where she put the key. Along with Allen, her new buddy Bryan (Barry J. Ratcliffe) and love interest Nick (Boyd), she must find the key before the Witch has a chance to take over all worlds.

"The Witches of Oz" is a schizophrenic mess of a story. It wants to be a big, dark save-the-world story, but it also wants to be a kiddie-friendly family film. Even worse, it seems to have been made up as it went -- foreshadowing comes to naught (Nick's identity), important items go unmentioned until they're needed, and random characters pop out of the woodwork without warning.

It also feels like the budget was somebody allowance -- the costumes are silly (Glinda looks like a cut-rate Valkyrie) and the special effects are simply embarrassing. I will admit that there are some really moving moments, such as Jeffrey Combs as a grieving father whose child has been swept away to Oz.

But the rest of the movie is just so cheesy and campy, and riddled with gaping plot holes that you could fly a taxi through. It all climaxes in a truly horrendous battle through a magically-ravaged NYC, where the Evil Minions of the Evil Witch... lightly annoy the New York residents. Apparently flying monkeys, dragons and evil gnomes don't kill people -- they just sort of whack them with sticks.

Oh, and the ending? It completely negates everything that has gone on before it, by revealing that everything both the heroes and villains did was TOTALLY POINTLESS. And its "all you need is love/friendship" message is completely negated by what happens at the climax.

Some of the actors are really, really good. Boyd is charming, low-key and resolutely normal, Combs is heartbreakingly good, Astin and Ethan Embry are fun, and Christopher Walken is slyly clever in his brief role. Sadly, Rojas seems to be stuck in "wide-eyed ingenue" mode, and that's how she plays every emotion that Dorothy is supposed to experience.

And the actors playing the villains are just awful, especially since they're all played for bad comic relief. None of them are even slightly scary! Swenson is particularly tragic -- she gives a very good performance when she looks human, but transforms into a hissing growling parody of Margaret Hamilton buried under bad green makeup as the Witch. She's less frightening than the Kardashians.

"The Witches of Oz" tries to be too many things, and ends up as nothing -- a whimsically candy-sweet mess that makes absolutely no sense by the end. Just watch "Tin Man."

This movie isn't perfect, but it has a lot going for it. It is nearly three hours long, but that's because it's an edited version of a two-part mini-series that aired in the United Kingdom. So, the editing causes the story to be a little hard to follow in the middle.

Acting: 7/10
Special Effects: 6/10
Story: 8/10
Costumes/Make-up: 7/10
Editing: 6/10

TOTAL: 34/50 (68% D)

There is a theatrical cut of the movie (re-named "Dorothy and the Witches of Oz") that's being released in select U.S. theaters as well, and it's a big improvement on this version. The theatrical cut is an hour shorter, has improved visual effects, and fifteen minutes of added footage. The editing and sound is much better in that version, too. So, if you weren't satisfied with this version, I can assure you that the theatrical is much better and easier to sit through.

Disclaimer: This is a review of the director's cut entitled "Dorothy and the Witches of Oz," which isn't available for purchase yet on Amazon. It was just out in select theaters. I received a screener for review.

The story follows Dorothy Gale (Paulie Rojas), a children's author continuing the Oz series. After her uncles death back in Kansas, Dorothy discovers that her stories were not from her imagination but from her own experiences in Oz. Now, the evil witches are in New York and looking for a key that Dorothy hid as a child. Only Dorothy and her friends can stop the Wicked Witch of the West from destroying both Oz and this reality.

Based on L. Frank Baum's books not the popular film starring Judy Garland, fans will notice the additional characters right away. And Dorothy's slippers are silver not Garland's ruby red. Christopher Lloyd as the Wizard was my biggest reason for seeing the film. He was fantastic. But I was happy to see other known faces as well such as Sean Astin and Ethan Embry as the cute, funny, and miniature Frick and Frack. And Jeffrey Combs has a brief but memorable performance as Dorothy's heartbroken father. Paulie Rojas as Dorothy is a bit wooden, but her sweetness and innocence is believable. And Eliza Swenson as Billie Westbrook was pure fun to watch in her complex role.

At first I was confused about the target audience. The mood seemed darker and suddenly violent, until I realized all of the action and fight scenes were stylized. Some of the monstrous creatures might be a bit scary for young children, but it's still only rated PG and is certainly a family movie. The (director's cut) special effects are clever and most of the evil creatures look like something out of a campy 70's or 80's film, which I think adds to the charming storybook feel. At times the movie reminded me of a favorite show ABC's Once Upon a Time - with the campy feel meets the real world. Yet Dorothy and the Witches of Oz is much more family friendly and light-hearted. Full of adventure, magic, mystery, and colorful characters - this film was unexpectedly heartwarming and a bright homage to the classic Oz books.