Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Unease on the Road
THE WIZ attempted to be the grooviest movie musical ever. But, somewhere along the way, the groove was lost. The Broadway show itself is a simple piece presented with power and emotion. So, it was destined to make a transfer to film. But in some ways, the film is a disappointment. The film's tone is so dark that it strips the show of much of the stage show's original fun. Gone were many of the comparisons with THE WIZARD OF OZ, traded in for a land of urban decay.Under the direction of Sidney Lumet, the film had some interesting choices made. First and most successfully is the use of New York locations. This obviously had a big effect on the films success as well as the budget. An additional advantage was in the films casting. Involving the likes of Diana Ross, Lena Horne, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell, Sidney Lumet and Quincy Jones guaranteed the film to get a lot of attention. The Crows, the Winkies, the Munchkins, the Flying Monkeys and the attacking bouncy dolls are the stuff that children's nightmares are made of. These elements are surreal enough that the viewer can't grow to attached and that hurts the film.
But, musically, the film delivers, sometimes too much. Some of the songs are redundant in most part due to a unnecessarily verbose screenplay adaptation. So, the film has elements of success but could've used a less distorted view. There are some positive elements in the film. The casting of Mabel King as Evilene is a coup and Lena Horne's torch song near the end of the film is stunning. The DVD itself has a pretty good video transfer, but the original film was so dark, it is hard to get much more out of it. Likewise, the audio transfer is a bit disappointing, especially from a movie musical.
Rating:  - "So...u wanted to meet the Wizaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrd!!!!"
My brother and I used to say that line over and over and laugh ourselves silly. I LOVE THIS MOVIE! The Wiz wasn't made to mirror the Judy Garland classic, although the theme and plot are the same. The Wiz is a funkier, head-bobbing, get up and dance movie that is filled with heart warming and uplifting messages with a universal theme we all can relate to: "Home".
There are so many wonderful things to love about The Wiz. The costumes. The songs. The scenes. The dance numbers. The characters. The location (filmed in New York city? now that's cool!) Nipsey Russell's sassy dance number at the carnival site as he croons, "slide some oil to me!" Then there's Michael's soulful lament, "U Can't Win". It was the ultimate jam that had everyone singing the catchy hook. The bouncing puppets in the subway chase scene is still eerie to this day.
I absolutely LOVED the color schemes at the Emerald City, green to red to gold & the walking Mike was too cute! The score was !beautifully done and Quincy Jones makes a cameo appearance at the keys, all froed-out.
Its funny how people try to compare and criticize this film, when its clear that it was done with music and choreography at the forefront. The styles and time periods are totally different. You can not compare the two which is why this film is called The Wiz and not The Wizard of Oz.
I was nine when I first saw The Wiz and recently saw it again. After all this time it makes me laugh, cry and dance. When Lena Horne sings "If U Believe" it pulls tears from my eyes every time, and who can forget the sweatshop scene. That number is so uplifting it will have you jumping out your seat singing, "Can't you feel a brand new day?" I also loved Ted Ross's poignant number.
In all, The Wiz is a must have for your collection of oldie but goodies. It's timeless, still jams, AND you have to give Miss Ross some credit for being able to "Ease on Down the Road" in those high-heeled si!lver slippers, sporting that curly "blowout"!
Peace. CLB.
Rating: - Motown Rocks Oz
Oz gets another musical interpretation, very different from the original movie, this time by Motown. Dorothy's home moves from the dry Kansas plain, to the busy New York apartments. Dorothy herself is now a shy, twenty-four year old kindergarden teacher. After a talk with her Aunt Em about a new job as a high school teacher, which Dorothy is to shy to take, Dorothy opens the apartment door and her beloved dog Toto runs out into the firce blizzard. Dorothy grabs him and finds herself scooped up in a whirling funnel of snow. This tornado-like funnel wisks them of to Oz where Dorothy inadvertantly kills Evermean, the wicked witch of the east, and frees the friendly Munchkins. When Miss One, the good witch of the north appears, she advises Dorothy to "ease on down" the yellow brick road to find the Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City, for he's the only one who can send her home. Dorothy receives the dead witch's magical silver shoes and starts her journey. Along the way she meets the Scarecrow, who seeks a brain; the Tin Man, who longs for a heart; and the Cowardly Lion who is in need of some courage; together this strange party travels down the yellow brick road to find Oz, facing many strange obstacals along the way. But Oz won't let them have their wishes unless they kill Evilene, the wicked witch of the west.
This exciting version of Oz is a wonderful spectical of site and sound. Oz is actually a mirror image of New York. Most of the locations in Oz were New York locations with a few Oz additions.
Some of the most famous Motown stars take on the lead roles for Oz, including Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey Russel as the Tin Man, Ted Ross as the Lion, and Lena Horne as Glinda, the good witch of the south.
Many of the dangers that Baum wrote into the original book have been adopted here, including the deadly poppy field, now the poppy siren women who lure people to the deadly scent; the dangerous forest, now an underground subway full of walking pillars, bitting trash cans, and over sized attacking dolls; and the wicked witch of the west's land, now a parking building maze.
The beginning and ending songs are soft and touching, like Glinda's solo, while the songs in Oz are very upbeat, like "Ease on Down the Road".
The dance sequences are incredible and are really an amazing site that shouldn't be missed (especially the Emerald City scene filled with hundereds of Emerald City citizens dancing between the twin towers).
The acting is well done. Dorothy is pretty emotional throughout most of the movie, but she is sometimes lose and relaxed, while the people who surround her are always very happy and upbeat (with the exeption of the nasty and sometimes funny Evilene).
I saw this movie when I was young and it wasn't at all scary, even though the settings were pretty dark. I saw the original Wizard of Oz with Judy Garland first, which also never scared me.
I'd highly recommend this movie for all ages. I'd recommend seeing the original first though. So hurry up and "ease on down the road"!
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