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MOVIES / ON DVD / RETURN TO OZ
Return to Oz

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Return to Oz (1985)

58%
N/A
63%
N/A
N/A
N/A
58 %
Reviews Counted: 19 Fresh: 11  Rotten:8 Average Rating: 5.8/10
Runtime: 2 hrs
Synopsis:
A dark return visit to L. Frank Baum's astonishing world of Oz. After clicking her red shoes together and finally returning to Kansas, Dorothy finds that, in fact, there is someplace better than home -- especially when her family concludes that any girl who keeps insisting that she's... [More]
A dark return visit to L. Frank Baum's astonishing world of Oz. After clicking her red shoes together and finally returning to Kansas, Dorothy finds that, in fact, there is someplace better than home -- especially when her family concludes that any girl who keeps insisting that she's visited a magical kingdom isn't right in the head. So young Dorothy journeys back into the magical realm of Oz, only to find a crumbling yellowbrick road and the Emerald City in an advanced state of decay. [Less]

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Starring: Fairuza Balk, Nicol Williamson, Jean Marsh, Piper Laurie, Matt Clark

Director: Walter Murch
Producer: Paul Maslansky
Composer: David Shire

DVD Info

Release:

Feb 3, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital - English, French

Additional Release Material:

  • Featurette - 1. FAIRUZA BALK RETURNS TO OZ
  • Trailer - Original Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spots

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 19 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

Best to see them as individual films with nothing in common apart from source material, one a classic, the other a strong enough picaresque amongst some decent fabulation.

Full Review | Comment
12/12/07 01:58 PM
Ian Nathan
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image

It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying.

Full Review | Comment
12/12/07 01:57 PM
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

There are some fine, Oscar-nominated special effects, but the excitement just isn't there.

Full Review | Comment
12/12/07 01:55 PM
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image

Despite the presence of Billina the talking hen, the emphasis on insecurity and peril harks back to the treat-'em-rough days of children's fiction, and the disturbing/comforting ratio tilts conclusively towards the former.

Full Review | Comment
06/24/06 04:24 AM
Time Out
Ratings Image

A forgotten classic.

| Comment
09/22/05 09:07 AM
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
07/05/05 09:12 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

I can see why the Judy Garland fans might not appreciate this weird little adaptation, but it's actually pretty good!

| Comment
04/03/05 04:42 AM
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
Ratings Image

Director Walter Murch tries to infuse the story with the inventiveness and adventure of the Star Wars saga, but the results are disappointing.

Full Review | Comment
08/21/04 08:12 AM
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
05/08/04 08:51 PM
Ryan Cracknell
Movie Views
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
04/18/04 04:46 PM
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Ratings Image

Faithfully brings the Oz books to life. A classic.

| Comment
08/12/03 11:01 PM
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
05/27/03 01:20 PM
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

The work of ingenious technicians who seem either not to know what gave the original film its magic, or not to care.

Full Review | Comment
05/20/03 05:00 PM
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Return to Oz is hardly as kid-friendly as The Wizard of Oz, but older children with a taste for the fantastic will find it interesting. Adult Oz fans will find it entertaining as well.

Full Review | Comment
11/07/02 01:22 PM
James Rocchi
Netflix
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Should've stuck to that yellow brick road

| Comment
09/17/02 09:47 PM
Clint Morris
Moviehole
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
08/26/02 08:20 PM
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Ratings Image

No review available.

| Comment
08/01/02 03:48 PM
Bob Grimm
Las Vegas Mercury
Ratings Image

An underrated little romp, surprisingly faithful to L. Frank Baum's atmosphere... though obviously it's all overshadowed by that other Oz flick.

| Comment
07/26/02 07:21 PM
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
Ratings Image

moody non-musical sequel to 'The Wizard of Oz' bombed at the box office and was faulted by most critics as being too weird and scary for kids.

Full Review | Comment
01/01/00 12:00 AM
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette
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This week, Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth hits theaters in limited release. The tale of a writer who...


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Around the Network

• Return to Oz at Rotten Tomatoes
• Return to Oz at IGN
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