flyingamon This is one of those movies that can be broadcasted on TV by means of a mini series. It is indeed the Wizard of Oz retold but there are a lot of changes and it is much darker. The people who know the original story will certainly recognize the many references to it even if this one has a complete different story. It's not really suited for children, too dark but really refreshing too. All of the main characters of the original story are there: the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, even Toto and of course Dorothy. They are all there in a different form than what we remember from the original story. But still you recognize the original characters in them, which is good. The story is truly more captivating and elaborate than the original, and the characters are worked out well. The story and its characters have a lot of depth which should be normal considering the length. I do remember movies however that were long but still put less effort in plot and characters background. This one makes good use of the length. I could rave on about everything that is good about it. I think it's a must see for everyone who likes Wizard of Oz.

kingderella "Tin Man" is "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" re-imagined as a dark, epic steampunk fantasy. The concept of bringing out the darker undercurrents of a beloved children's tale reminded me a lot of the computer game "American McGee's Alice", although "Tin Man" isn't quite that violent. Another obvious influence is Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.It's a concept with the potential to be very entertaining, but it doesn't quite come together. The biggest problem is that "Tin Man" hasn't got any depth whatsoever - the original tale's messages are completely lost - and it doesn't have enough style to compensate for it's lack of substance.Some of the special effects just look cheap and some sets and costumes are terribly unimaginative. The cast isn't all that great either. Zooey Deschanel is adorable, but she makes a terrible action heroine, coming across as unintentionally clumsy and clueless. Worst of all is Raoul Trujillo as the laughable "Raw" (the character analogous to the Cowardly Lion). And the whole series just goes on for way too long.There are nice moments scattered throughout the series, such as the re-imagined Emerald City, and some of the actors do a pretty good job. But ultimately "Tin Man" is a wasted opportunity.

Clay Loomis OK, this Sci-Fi channel mini-series is an update of the Wizard of Oz. Rather than just redo the old movie (with Judy Garland. I've never seen the silent versions), it has been changed significantly, although viewers of the older movie and/or readers of the book will recognize the story.The special effects of original stuff on Sci-Fi cannot be compared to Jurassic Park or The Matrix, as they don't have that kind of budget. But I've noticed a regular improvement of CGI effects on Sci-Fi over the years as computer/software prices have dropped, and they are much better now than they were.Tin Man is spread out over three parts of two hours each. That's six hours of on-your-butt watching, with ninety minutes of that time being commercials. I can't watch things that way so I always record them so I can spend less time in front of the TV. I got the distinct impression that the good folks at Sci-Fi told the makers of Tin Man to put some padding in this thing to make sure that they could fill six hours of programming. I noticed a good deal of running and walking through fields that got a bit grating (another nice thing about being able to fast forward). I think the editing could REALLY have used some tightening up. I believe about an hour could have been chopped from the 270 minute running time with no loss of story development.All that being said, I still like what they did with the story, including the steampunk vibe. It was different and fun to watch, as long as no one takes the FF button off my remote. While the 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz was more kid friendly than Tin Man, I think that young kids could still watch it without needing therapy.

TheExpatriate700 Tin Man is an interesting update of the old Wizard of Oz story, with special effects and acting well above the Sci-Fi Channel's usual low standards. It is more akin to Battlestar Galactica (although not quite as good) than to their creature features. Zooey Deschanel, Kathleen Robertson, and Alan Cumming all turn in good performances, although Richard Dreyfuss fans should be warned that his role is smaller than advertised.The plot overall is well written, although at times rather predictable, especially in the third episode. There are some issues with the dialogue though, with some genuinely flat lines scattered throughout the series.In terms of younger fans of Baum, the plot might be a bit dark for the under ten set, but should be enjoyable for older kids, particularly teenagers with a taste for the bizarre.