Review of Return to Oz (1985) by Graham M — 20 Sep 2012

The story picks up where the original 1939 classic left off where we see Dorothy trying to convince the adults that she actually went to the land of Oz, sadly no one believes her and they place her in a psychiatric ward.

Luckily Dorothy escapes and transported through a totally different way back to the magical kingdom.

Things have defintely change since she's been gone; the yellow-brick road has been destroyed, the citizens of the Emerald City have been turned to stone, and the ScareCrow is missing.

This is most certainly, a darker, more serious and more forboding Oz movie.

I think really younger viewers will find it too scary considering it involves demented henchmen, severed heads, and hellish-like environments.

Still, the filmmakers make an effort when it comes to the sets, the costumes, the special effects, and the inventiveness exploring more of the Oz lore.

I enjoyed the new characters such as Tick Tock and Pumpkinhead Jack, those are amazing animatronics and puppetry.

There's even some good emotional ressonace that struck a chord with me.

The original movie will always remain a timeless film but this 2nd one actually moves the story forward successfully and Bulk plays an adorable, vulnerable, caring Dorothy as we've come to know just like Judy Garland.