Review of Return to Oz (1985) by Emma F — 09 Jun 2008

When we return to the world of Oz, what exactly is it that we are returning to? It is not the same world that was projected in the Wizard of Oz (1939), that is for sure. One night Dorothy sees a shooting star, and the next morning while checking for eggs from her hen Billina, Dorothy comes across a key that she thinks was sent from Oz on that shooting star. The key is not only a symbol of our entry into this fictional world of amusement, but an unlimited pass to a world of attractions and congenial characters that serve to identify and entertain with the presumed young audience. When watching the film, we do not just recollect these.

Characters, but we will find ourselves ensnared by their magic and their enchanting disposition that we almost become apart of them, we are ourselves transfixed in this world of Oz and we fall victim to the very antagonists that Dorothy herself has to encounter in her experience of this fictional wonderland. Dorothy awakens to find herself back in Oz with Billina, who voyage across the Deadly Desert, and upon entering the nearby forest, discover the yellow brick road destroyed. The world that we entered in the Wizard of Oz is no longer existent; the road is destroyed really signifying this film to have admirable ambition to re-create these bricks that have been destroyed, giving the audience almost an employment into re-building their own vision that has been lost in translation since the original film. The only criticism I would execute to this film is the psychological terror and darkness it may place on its presumed young target audience who may find more then one scene disturbing. This however may further the young viewers enjoyment as they feel the impact and gloom that the film expresses, further drawing them into the true world of Oz.

Final Rating: (5) Five Star.