A yearly staple of broadcast television, a true landmark in cinema history, and a broadcast TV tradition of appointment viewing for families for decades, it’s easily the most well known adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s book series. It is a beautifully-made film, with gorgeous MGM sets, vivid technicolor, and the deft directorial hands of Victor Fleming and George Cukor. 77 of 95 people found this review helpful. This 1925 silent film adaptation makes some bold changes to the original story. Read more of her work here or follow her on Twitter @kaytiburt. D’Onofrio as the Wizard and Joely Richardson as Glinda, as well as director Tarsem Singh behind all 10 episoides, according to one researcher at Northwestern, WWE Raw Brings New Announce Team, Inconsistent Results, Emerald City and the Evergreen Allure of Dorothy Gale, Return to Oz: A Disturbing '80s Fantasy Classic, Emerald City episode 1 review: The Beast Forever, Emerald City Premiere: Spoiler-Free Review, Halloween: Timeline Explained for Horror Movie Franchise, Topps' Fright Flicks Cards: Where Horror and Comedy Collide, Best Horror Movies on Netflix: Scariest Films to Stream, Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? While he tries to treat her with electro-shock treatment and take those nasty dreams away from her head, she is rescued by a mysterious girl who leads her back to Oz for a new adventure. [15] Ian Nathan of Empire Magazine gave the film a three out of five stars, saying: "This is not so much a sequel but an homage and not a good one. He prepares to eat Jack, but Billina, hiding in Jack's head, lays an egg and it falls into the Nome King's mouth. Unbeknownst to Murch, Disney owned the rights to the Oz series and wanted to make a new film as the copyright was soon to expire. Yes, it really is that good as Dorothy and friends meet up with the Scarecrow and battle the evil Nome King and Princess Mombi.The original Wizard Of Oz was a timeless classic still talked about today. Directed by Walter Murch. They assemble a creature with furniture, rope, and the head of a moose-like animal called the Gump. In 1954, Walt Disney Productions bought the film rights to Baum's remaining Oz books to use in the television series Disneyland; this led to the live-action film Rainbow Road to Oz, which was never completed. Ozma takes her place on the throne and Dorothy hands over the ruby slippers. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! For me, it’s hard to get past James Franco being miscast in the central role of this film, which is a shame because this 3D prequel to The Wizard of Ozactually has a lot of good things going for it.
[6] Once shooting began, Murch began to fall behind schedule, and there was further pressure from the studio, leading to Murch being fired as director for a short period. It earned $2,844,895 in its opening weekend, finishing in seventh place. A young boy and a bunch of misfit friends embark on a quest to find a dark magic item of ultimate power before a diabolical tyrant can.