Review of Return to Oz (1985) by Meredith H — 20 May 2010

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Return To Oz.

Many people on here and other sites have praised Return To Oz, while critics have panned it. Never the less I bought it only for £5 and gave it a watch. Here is my thoughts.

It has been six months since Dorothy has returned to Kansas from Oz and she still cannot sleep. She has been going on about imaginary places and people so much that Aunt Em takes her to see a doctor. Dorothy promptly escapes from the mental hospital and wakes up in Oz where her favorite chicken can now talk. There she meets a whole new bunch of friends and they set off to rescue the Scarecrow from an evil Gnome King who has found her Ruby Slippers and has used them to lay waste to the Emerald city and take over Oz.

From the start of the film,i was hooked. I honestly think that this film is heeps better than the 1939 Original Musical and here is why. First of all,its dark and that is how the books were meant to be tooken as. I love the dark atmosphere as soon as Dorothy enters Oz. You can just tell by the time and way she was brought there that something isn`t right and that dark forces lurk in Oz. Second reason is that the characters are much more interesting. The villians are alot more scary especially The Nombe King. You couldn`t tell whether he was good or evil. I was also quite creeped with Princess Mombi and all of the heads.

I loved the story in the film. It was dark,scary and very engaging. I am unsure whether a kid could get into this. They may find the Pre Oz stuff boring and the rest of the film quite entertaining. But overall this is without a doubt a classic film. I highly HIGHLY recommend both Secret Of NIMH and Return to Oz together.

Rating - 81% - A-.