Average Rating: 5.6/10
Reviews Counted: 21
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 10
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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 2
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Average Rating: 3.1/5
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This '80s follow-up to The Wizard of Oz is based upon two of L. Frank Baum's later Oz books. In Return to Oz (a version that may be a bit too scary for young children), Auntie Em sends Dorothy to a sanitarium where hopefully she will clear her head from all of the "Oz nonsense." This doesn't work, for soon Dorothy manages to return to Oz, but things have definitely changed. She finds her old friends turned to stone and discovers that the awful Nome King has taken over Oz. ~ Rovi
Jun 21, 1985 Wide
Aug 10, 1999
All Critics (22) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (11) | Rotten (10) | DVD (5)
Any movie in which a Midwestern prairie actually looks more attractive and more interesting than the enchanted land over the rainbow is in big trouble.
It's bleak, creepy, and occasionally terrifying.
The work of ingenious technicians who seem either not to know what gave the original film its magic, or not to care.
1985 sequel to American classic is tin-eared and creepy.
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.
There are some fine, Oscar-nominated special effects, but the excitement just isn't there.
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.
A forgotten classic.
I can see why the Judy Garland fans might not appreciate this weird little adaptation, but it's actually pretty good!
Director Walter Murch tries to infuse the story with the inventiveness and adventure of the Star Wars saga, but the results are disappointing.
Faithfully brings the Oz books to life. A classic.
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.
Should've stuck to that yellow brick road
Good Effects and developed characters. A sequel to The Wizard of Oz was a good idea, but there was no excitement in this film, and I remember watching this on VHS as a child but it still is not entertaining as it was back then as Return to Oz is just plain creepy.
October 29, 2011
Super Reviewer
This is a great sequel to the classic, the imagination on show is amazing and it all looks terrific. The charactes have a new look which really sets them apart (is this where Tim Burton got his 'Jack Skellington' idea?) every one is stunning to see and have really had some major care and craftsmanship involved, I love
August 25, 2007Super Reviewer
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