"Tin Man" starts with Azkadellia(Kathleen Robertson), the evil sorceress in charge of the Outer Zone(O.Z.), fretting because her dastardly minions have not found an emerald that is necessary for her nefarious plans. What they have located instead is a source of light on the other side in the person of DG(Zooey
Deschanel), a young waitress with disturbing dreams and a continuous sense of not belonging(Cool! So, I'm not the only one...), but she manages to escape to the O.Z. before she can be captured. That is the good news. The bad news is that she is captured by a bunch of rather diminutive resistance fighters. She escapes them with Glitch(Alan Cumming), who is missing his brain and is the worse for wear. Later, they meet up with Cain(Neal McDonough), a former lawman, and Raw(Raoul Trujillo), a psychic. All together, they are off to see the Wizard(Richard Dreyfuss)... "Tin Man" is a mildly entertaining miniseries that is an updating of "The Wizard of Oz." Actually, there is more than enough evidence to suggest this is a long overdue sequel but the continuity issues alone would give me a migraine. Thinking back on a classic film, it should come as no surprise that nostalgia is at the heart of this, especially involving childhood and remembrances of golden times. However, the miniseries is lacking in magic and imagination when it comes to the present. It owes as much to Snow White as anything and if you've seen one fascist dictatorship, you have seen them all. Considering witches have always been persecuted, what would happen if the tables were turned? Considering the epic journey, it is a shame that the ending turns out to be so very predictable. Sadly, DG's mechanical talents are not brought up again after the first part. And no matter how much I like Zooey Deschanel as an actress, her natural sarcasm does not work well in a heroic role.(Strangely, Natalie Morales has no problem making it work on "The Middleman.")
October 23, 2008
