After the Wizard

I had the misfortune to stumble on this god awful waste of film, electricity and time on cable television.

It's literally unbelievably slow and stupid. There was this scene on a train where a blind man talks to the scarecrow and tin man and tells them simple and obvious stuff about "The Wizard of Oz" that we already know. It might be the single most boring scene ever committed to film.

I sat there with my jaw dropped, wondering how any filmmaker can think anyone would want to watch something like that. And it went on and on and on and on .....................................

It's getting distressing to think that the creators of today are so uncreative that all they can do is rehash old properties that have already been rehashed to death already.

This was one of the WORST films I've ever seen in my entire life. Horrendous acting, terrible editing, idiotic dialogue, and an interesting concept that was executed poorly. It even has NO budget whatsoever, almost as if the actors were being held hostage. If I were in the studio, I would've had the FBI on speed dial.

And whoever likes this film are unemployed. 😀

Also, I'd like to note that people who milk the original IP are uncreative and should at least think of a BETTER idea for a film and actually put some effort into it.

Watching this movie is a fate worse than death. DO NOT WATCH!!

I have no ill will towards the actors who were involved in the making of this film.

Elizabeth lives in a Kansas orphanage, run by a lady who has been there thirty years. Even though twelve year old Liz doesn't want to upset folks, she does. That is because she lives in a fantasy world, where the young gal believes she is Dorothy of the Oz books. Everyone is instructed to call her Doro, which they refuse to do, resulting in punishments galore. Meanwhile, the Tin Man and Scarecrow have landed a balloon in New Jersey and are making their way by train to Kansas. The journey many problems as this duo doesn't understand money, state boundaries and more. Fortunately, they do have a pocketful of emeralds from the E city, which do come in handy. Will they be able to locate Dorothy at the time she really needs them? There may be a tornado approaching, too! This sweet film moves so slowly that some children will give up a view, despite the delightful Tin Man and Scarecrow. It is a well conceived tale, that an orphan girl, rejected by many, invents a dream world to cope. Therefore, Oz characters are part of an imaginary world, which may not be clear to kids, either. Nevertheless, if boys and girls are the patient type, this little film may thrill those who adore the original Wizard of Oz movie.

While this was a very amateur production with a few good performances, as a life-long fan of the Oz literature I could have overlooked that if the story had been any good. My biggest issue is that it's presented as an Oz adventure when it's not, and whatever story it's trying to tell is muddled by two incongruous plots. Elizabeth is an orphan who pretends to be Dorothy in order to cope with vague and undefined problems, while the Scarecrow and a guy in grey makeup travel across the United States to seek her help with vague and undefined problems back in the rock quarry that's supposed to pass for Oz. I've wondered if I might have liked this movie more if I'd seen it as a child.

This is touted as a sequel, yet nothing about it matches the canon or indicates that anyone had actually read the books despite the frequent praise for them from the writer and the characters. There are already at least two other "sequels" anyway that DO incorporate elements of "Land of Oz" and "Ozma of Oz," the books which follow "Wizard:" Filmation's "Journey Back to Oz" from 1972, and Disney's "Return to Oz" from 1985. This was more like an "add a word" forum game that someone cobbled together into a script, and given that a few dozen people received special thinks for the writing, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what happened. It would certainly explain why the overall premise was so disjointed.

Ultimately if you like stories that have a simple plot with minimal conflict that's easily resolved and a pat happy ending all around, you'll find that here, but if you want something more complex, keep looking.

I am a 40 year old man and I watched this movie on one of the streaming services at my mom's apartment last year. I watched very intently while she tuned in and out while doing other things. While I have a hard time calling this movie good, I did thoroughly enjoy it.

There are many awkward and amateurish aspects to the production but these are also part of what make the movie so distinctive and intriguing and what make this what I consider to be a pretty special installment in the Oz universe.

The train scene where Tin Man and Scarecrow have a protracted conversation with another passenger is probably the most successful moment in the movie, in conventional terms. But the movie is full if dissonant performances that create a unique and porous reality which is dynamic and appropriate to the subject matter. .. The location shooting is a big part of this and the bumbling visitors from Oz make for excellent surrogates for anyone who is curious and wandering in a sometimes sad and confusing land.

I was enjoying this movie when it seemed to end prematurely and I would have liked to have seen more happen.

I give After the Wizard 7 stars because it warrants a cinephile viewing. The flaws in this movie are part of what make this movie as dynamic as it is - very dynamic. If you love cinema and you like to wonder about and question what it is while you are witnessing it, you may find this movie a suprising and rewarding viewing like I did.