I have always been a fan of the Wizard of Oz. Lately with the success of Gregory Maguire's Wicked series as well as the Broadway musical of the same name, Tin Man makes sense. Everyone wants to add their own spin to the story.
I loved Tin Man, but the one thing that hurts it is that it is a television event and is therefore not constrained by film length. So it feels more like a TV show than a movie, which is fine, but it also suffers from "Season 1 syndrome", in which writers are getting to know the world they've created and actors are developing characters that usually take 3 seasons to really gel. So the writing and acting at times are a bit choppy, but I'm willing to ignore that as the story itself is very interesting and the version of Oz that is created is very believable.
Tin Man is part sequel, part remake, as events from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are referenced as happening way in the past, but the archetypes from the original are used again, so in a sense, we're watching history repeat itself in a world that has changed drastically. Gone is the Emerald City, the lush forests and endless fields of poppies. Instead we find ourselves in a world in which the wilderness is creeping back in, and the last traces of civilization are confined in a massive, industrial city, focused on sustaining itself more than enjoying itself.
There's a new wicked witch, but she's very different than what we're used to as her backstory is an expansion of the vengeful sister from the original film.
The characters are interesting, but I think a full TV series could have explored them more (though plot elements would stagnate very quickly in a TV series). All in all, it's an enjoyable story. It has flaws, but they don't hurt the story too much. It has a very Sci-fi channel feel about it, echoing shows like Hercules and Xena. Somewhat cheesy, but a lot of fun to watch.
I loved Tin Man, but the one thing that hurts it is that it is a television event and is therefore not constrained by film length. So it feels more like a TV show than a movie, which is fine, but it also suffers from "Season 1 syndrome", in which writers are getting to know the world they've created and actors are developing characters that usually take 3 seasons to really gel. So the writing and acting at times are a bit choppy, but I'm willing to ignore that as the story itself is very interesting and the version of Oz that is created is very believable.
Tin Man is part sequel, part remake, as events from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are referenced as happening way in the past, but the archetypes from the original are used again, so in a sense, we're watching history repeat itself in a world that has changed drastically. Gone is the Emerald City, the lush forests and endless fields of poppies. Instead we find ourselves in a world in which the wilderness is creeping back in, and the last traces of civilization are confined in a massive, industrial city, focused on sustaining itself more than enjoying itself.
There's a new wicked witch, but she's very different than what we're used to as her backstory is an expansion of the vengeful sister from the original film.
The characters are interesting, but I think a full TV series could have explored them more (though plot elements would stagnate very quickly in a TV series). All in all, it's an enjoyable story. It has flaws, but they don't hurt the story too much. It has a very Sci-fi channel feel about it, echoing shows like Hercules and Xena. Somewhat cheesy, but a lot of fun to watch.