pavel_kolotilov's reviews

After reading the "original" "The wizard of the Emerald City" by Volkov (which is an adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"), my daughter was very eager to see this movie. She kind of liked it, though the movie is a little dark and scary. Graphics is really good and the yellow brick road scenery is very beautiful. The mix of jokes based on the cross between magical land and the modern life is funny. I also liked that the authors decided to rework a bit the classical story and to add some characters from the second Volkov's book about "Urfin Juice and the wooden solders": the Urfin Juice himself and the crow Kaggi-Kar (though here it is not a crow, but some other tropical bird species). On the other hand Witch of the Violet land Bastinda (Wicked Witch of the West) got an important role during the whole movie, and not just in the second part as in the book.

The biggest disappointment is that the movie is split in two parts and finishes when the friends come to the Emerald city. Nevertheless, we decided that it is worthy adaptation (of the adaptation 😊) are impatiently waiting for the second part.

Well, it is cheap low budget telemovie. Slow, boring, barely romantic. And the cherry on top: Tesla that produces sound of the gasoline car. Looks like the sound mixer never saw an electric car :-(

The Movie is splendid.

Well paced, classic filming stile, doesn't look old. All problems are fresh still. A very good example of non-Hollywood movie.

Just look at it like an example of an ordinary life in USSR. No wars, no racial problems, everybody were brothers/sisters, money did not mean a thing (cause everybody had almost the same salary)!!!.Paradise!!!

Russians were sure that they lived in the best country in the world and that everybody abroad are poor exploited people. (You know, after living myself 6 years outside of Russia, I can tell you that they were absolutely right).

You can see Gosha as a sexist, but do not forget, he is like that only on surface. He follows old Russian code of HONOUR.

I REALLY envy those people who lived in the USSR.

After seeing several movies of Villaronga, I had a pretty clear opinion about him -- he concentrates too much on the personal aspect of the characters, forgetting about a rhythm of the movie. That is why, though having good critics, his movies never caught the broad audience attention. In ARo he follows the same line, but really improved on the rhythm, especially in the end of the movie. Frankly speaking, I slept through the first part, cause though the first part gives necessary information, it is really slow. Nevertheless the second part is absolutely marvelous and makes the whole movie the best movie ever made by Villaronga.

Recommended.