Tin Man

As a big fan of the original Wizard of Oz I was a little apprehensive about watching SciFi channel's inventive, reimagined take on the film in their mini series Tin Man. Much to my delight Tin Man was everything you could possibly want in a new incarnation of the classic tale. It takes Oz into modern times calling the region the OZ or outer zone. Zooey Deschanel plays DG, a girl from Kansas swept away from her mundane life into a wondrous adventure. All your favorite characters are there in various forms, though as the title suggests the journey of the Tin Man provides much of the heart of the story. It's a more complex Oz, bigger, darker, deeper with fantastic sets and CGI work which draws the viewer completely into the world (with only a little of the SciFi channel's hokiness). The six hour mini series format gives the tale time to develop with more complexity to the story and the characters. It's a completely new story but with enough shadows of the original that it feels familiar. References to the original film in visual nods and bits of dialog blend in so completely they're easy to miss and make you smile at every turn. The story is a bit darker in tone, and less clear cut about good vs. evil but it's not any scarier than the original. That Wicked Witch of the West frightened me something awful when I was young. At its core the story is still about courage, having some heart, using your brain now and then, and a spunky little lady who loves her family.