Tin Man, Pt. 1 - A Review

Tonight was the first episode of Sci-Fi Channel's eagerly-anticipated Tin Man, a reimagining of the classic, Wizard of Oz. As much as I hate to admit it, I have never read the actual Frank Baum book, but I (like every other American) was once a child and absolutely love the original. While I can't say how faithful this update is to the book, I can say it is quite removed from the movie - in a good way, for the most part.

The witch is twice as evil (and super, super hot - it's Katherine Whatever from IFC's The Business), Dorothy's adventuring party is nicely done, and the visual effects are astounding. On the other hand, some of the updating is a bit trite - it isn't "Oz," it's "The O.Z." and Dorothy is now "DG" - I mean, why? It also takes too many tongue-in-cheek jabs at the time-honored original for my taste. What would have been "inside jokes" fall clunkily as sardonic jeers, such as at the end, when the evil witch says, "There's no place like the O.Z." Ecch.

The acting is, overall, amazing. I find DG's performance a bit lacking - almost as if the actress was afraid the production was going to be bad and she didn't want to give it her all - but it's hard to tell, since some of the aspects try so hard to be hip that it may be exactly the demeanor the director was going for. Also, I tend to find Richard Dreyfuss an overactor, and in this, probably his most flamboyant role, he is wonderfully subdued (so far - his character was drugged, so we'll have to see how the rest of the series plays out). Everyone else is superb, with a really fine comedic relief turn by the guy who plays the wandering smut-peddler.

Tin Man could be carried on the merits of its visual effects alone, but it really is a good showing so far. If only the writing weren't so tragically hip, I would say it's a classic remake; as it is, it's good for what it is, but will likely be dated and largely forgotten within a few years.