Tin Man (2007)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

...despite the elaborate (and often effective) production design by Michael "Riverworld" Joy, some nice camera-work by Thomas "ditto" Burstyn, an occasionally evocative score by Simon "Phenomena" Boswell, and relatively competent direction by Nick "(Close Your Eyes)/Doctor Sleep" Willing. The acting is okay, too, with the possible exception of Zooey "Almost Famous" Deschanel, who turns in a performance that relies far too much on wide-eyed innocence/confusion to play believably on a mid-20s woman. Kathleen "Beverly Hills, 90210" Robertson offers up a magnificent, tattooed décolletage and not much else (hampered as she is by several hideous outfits, and completely outclassed by her young counterpart, Alexia "Fido" Fast); Neil "Band of Brothers" McDonough plays the eponymous support role as a re-fried Harrison Ford; Raoul "Apocalypto" Trujillo is the Cowardly Lion stand-in, but is given nothing beyond plot-driven telepathy to make him stand out; while Alan "Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical" Cumming contributes a sometimes delightful, sometimes colorless version of the Scarecrow, this time named Glitz and afflicted with a bad case of zipperhead. Richard "you have to ask?" Dreyfuss has a few cameo appearances as Mystic Man, the revamped Wizard, but with so little to work with, even he fails to register more than momentary interest.The problem, as I see it, rests (as it usually does) with the ambitious-yet-unextraordinary script by the longtime writing/producing team of Steven Long "The Pretender"/"She Spies"/"Alien Nation" Mitchell and Craig W. "Same here" Van Sickle. Despite veering toward outright camp (check out some of those fetishistic costumes), and a plethora of references, veiled and not-so-veiled, to the MGM musical classic, "Tin Man" doesn't have a whole lot of heart, and not much in the way of good humor, either, and all this despite the avowed intentions of those involved (at least according to the DVD extras).I can only imagine that watching this mini-series as originally presented in a commercial setting would have been an exercise in frustration and tedium. It hits most of the same thematic notes that one would expect (friendship, knowing yourself, etc. etc. etc.), but none of it comes anywhere near the impact of either the original L. Frank Baum tales or the iconic Judy Garland/Four Friends version. It's worth a watch, but definitely not a keeper.

"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.

I really enjoyed Tin Man. It was like a breath of fresh air. Even though I loved the original version (Judy Garland)- and I am not a fan of remaking the old classics. The 1939's tale of OZ is slowly becoming outdated. Yes I love 'Somewhere Over The Rain Bow' and Judy but it has been a while since I have been able to watch it from start to finish. Always switching it off after about 40 minutes. I enjoyed the more action oriented and futuristic edge of Tin Man. Zooey Deschanel was simply a delight to watch. I was also delighted to see Neal McDonough play Tin Man - a good guy with a fierce attitude. There was much more depth to the characters in this version of OZ. Instead of the stereotypical good guy and bad guy persona it showed that beings of any kind are able to have both elements within their personality (Az and Cain) Also Cain's portrayal of lacking heart in his judgment had more of a purpose and made more sense than in the 1939's version of a Tin CAN! lacking a physical heart (?????). It was very clever to make the cowardly lion an empath who sees the world through his heart instead of with his mind. In Tin Man he had a reason to be scared, for Azkadellia was using his kind to torment them mentally into seeing the future. Even though the tale of OZ has had a much needed update in this series its central theme and values still exist and in my opinion does a better job in portraying this to the audience than any other version. For me Tin Man is a more entertaining, smarter, visually stunning version and I probably will not be able to go back and watch the 1939's OZ after watching this mini series and it has a superb theme song to boot.

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.