Review of The Wiz (1978) by Timothy L — 26 Nov 2008
Everybody loves blaxploitation right? Surely everyone will like an all African-American cast performing the Wizard of Oz? Surely then if you got Grammy award winning composer and producer Quincy Jones to put together some sweet funky tunes, it would be a hit.
On top of that get an Oscar nominated director involved and that would be awesome right? All of these elements make up "The Wiz" and all of these elements add up to a weird film. It looks great don't get me wrong.
Set design, costumes, make up, are all absolutely stellar and some of the images presented are just super. In terms of story though, it is nay good. Largely down to Diana Ross really. She looks like a skeleton and acts like one in the role of 33 year old Dorothy (I know, what's that about?).
She drags the film down and it suffers from her gaunt face. Luckily there is a star gained from Michael Jackson's flimsy performance as the Scarecrow. He's just awesome and this proves what an amazing entertainer he really is.
"The Wiz" is meant to be a cult hit but it's actually a bit lame. Sorry gang.
This review of The Wiz (1978) was written by Timothy L on 26 Nov 2008.
The Wiz has generally received mixed reviews.
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