How can they make a DVD without subtitles in the US? Do they think that everybody in this country is a native speaker of English? Don’t they know that English is NOT the official language and there is no official language? They are discriminating the millions of people living in this country who grew up in a different country with a different language that is not English. Is it too hard to include subtitles in a DVD created in 2008? Simply pathetic.

what a waste….from having to watch the no talent”bug eyed” Dorthy, to the dumb plot. I looked over to my brother gary and said, do you believe this sh#t, do you want me to turn it off?, he said, yea,and toss it over the deck and lets see if you can hit the tree next door. Ended up giving it to my co-workers kid who is 11.

This was disappointing overall. I was excited when I heard they were doing a sci-fi version of the story, but in the back of my mind there was this gnawing doubt that turned out to be dead on correct. Hollywood, especially television, is a wasteland with very few pleasant spots, and here is yet another tumbleweed rolling by.

I understand that a great deal of people enjoyed this miniseries which Sci-Fi Channel dubbed ‘The Event of the Year’. I am not attacking them, I am simply expressing my own opinion of this presentation.

For me this was simply another digital effects laden film that did not have very much to offer. The idea of a new twist on L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (which is what this miniseries was touted as being) sounded interesting, but the result was pure disappointment. The creators of this project seemed to not have even cracked open the original Baum book. When I first learned that this was going to be based on the book, I hoped for scenes that involved the Quadling Country, the China People, the mice, the green eyeglasses, a one-eyed witch with control over bees and wolves. What I got was typical fare of today’s TV movies, and it wasn’t surprising at all. Sci-Fi Channel’s original movies are hardly good entertainment anyway.

It’s a shame because this movie could have been good. Between the original book and the MGM musical, there is much to play with in terms of story and themes. But it was all lifeless, washed out looking, dull, and even cringe-inducing at times. “The little bitch has gone to see the wizard.” Come on. Really? And the Azkadelia character (or Vidalia or Azkaban or whatever she’s called) had just two expressions: icy suppressed rage and snide sarcasm. Not a threatening villain in the least for me. And the whole sisters plot idea is from the moon.

The Oz material is really a children’s territory, and when you twist it into adult fantasy it doesn’t work well at all. See Gregory Macguire’s novel “Wicked” with its adult themes, byzantine writing style, and transformation of an evil witch into a misunderstood misfit and an animal rights activist. Eeew.

And at times, “Tin Man” almost shows glimmers of interest, but then a character will open his mouth and say the most cliched, trite bit of corny drivel, and remind you instantly that you are watching something that is not good. It’s unfortunate that so much potential was there and yet the end result was just another shoddy piece of Hollywood nonsense.