"Tin Man" (2007) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Writers:

Jill E. Blotevogel (teleplay)
Steven Long Mitchell (teleplay)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Follow a new yellow brick road.

Plot:

A re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic "The Wizard of Oz".

Plot Keywords:

Tin Man | Waitress | Evil | Psychic | Sorceress

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 9 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Zooey Deschanel	...	DG (3 episodes, 2007)
Alan Cumming	...	Glitch (3 episodes, 2007)
Neal McDonough	...	Wyatt Cain (3 episodes, 2007)
Kathleen Robertson	...	Azkadellia (3 episodes, 2007)
Raoul Trujillo	...	Raw (3 episodes, 2007)
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Zero (3 episodes, 2007)
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Mystic Man (3 episodes, 2007)
Ian A. Wallace	...	Raynz (3 episodes, 2007)
Gwynyth Walsh	...	Emily (3 episodes, 2007)
Kevin McNulty	...	Hank (3 episodes, 2007)
Brenna O'Brien	...	Ella Bedose (3 episodes, 2007)
Jake D. Smith	...	Wills Bedose (3 episodes, 2007)
Anna Galvin	...	Lavender eyes (3 episodes, 2007)
Cainan Wiebe	...	Kalm (3 episodes, 2007)
Andrew Wheeler	...	Mr. Bedose / ... (3 episodes, 2007)
Marilyn Norry	...	Mrs. Bedose / ... (3 episodes, 2007)
Blu Mankuma	...	Toto / ... (2 episodes, 2007)
Rachel Pattee	...	Young DG (2 episodes, 2007)
Alexia Fast	...	Young Azkadellia (2 episodes, 2007)
Doug Abrahams	...	General Lonot (2 episodes, 2007)
Nickolas Baric	...	State Trooper (2 episodes, 2007)
Ingrid Tesch	...	Adora (2 episodes, 2007)
Andrew Francis	...	Jeb (2 episodes, 2007)
Alexis Llewellyn	...	Young DG (2 episodes, 2007)

Runtime:

270 min (3 parts)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Imagiquest Entertainment

Trivia:

Glitch makes a reference to not liking scarecrows, a reference to that character's original version.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the band of friends is forced to walk in the snowstorm, from the side, Kane is walking ahead of D.G., then Glitch, then Raw. When the angle changes to the front, Glitch and Raw are in front, then D.G., then Kane.

Quotes:

Glitch: I'm not saying they called me 'Twinkle-toes' but I cut quite a rug... Oh, you can make a face Cain, but here was a time I was a *terrific* dancer. She may have taken my brain, but *rhythm* that comes directly from the...
Cain: [interrupting] Do you have any bright ideas how to get in there?
Glitch: I mean, I don't mind taxing my half a brain for DG, but just *once* I'd like someone to admire me for my *rhythm*. Which, as I was saying before I was so *rudely* interrupted, comes directly from the *soul*.
[Cain gives him the look]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: The Making of Tin Man (2007) (TV)

A tad slow, but overall a good revisioning of a classic story

I was rather surprised that I enjoyed this. The story was obviously dragged out a bit thin to reach 6 hours in length. The stretching causes the pace to seem a bit too slow. Possibly better editing could have alleviated that. The characters are well thought out and thankfully not exact copies of the originals. From what I gathered after seeing all three episodes is that this story takes place 500 years after the original Dorothy came to Oz. The story is much darker, which is refreshing.

The leads do admirable jobs in their roles. I found only the lion to be somewhat boring, probably due to his inability to vocalize very much. He just didn't emote very well, although he did have some decent screen time, I just didn't connect with him at all. Toto was another character that confused a bit. His motivation was questionable considering the devotion he professed to have. I also wish the Wizard was a more prominent fixture, but all in all, I was OK with that branch of the story.

To sum up. Good acting, and I think a good choice on the lead for Zooey. I found her quirkiness and general kind of cute gutsiness refreshing. The special effects are better than average and certainly better than the typical home-made sci-fi look you may be used to. The scenery was also very nice in the movie (albeit with a darker twist). If you enjoyed the original, and you aren't a die hard fan hoping for a rehash of the same old story, then check this one out. It may be worth your time ;)