Tin Man – 2-Disc Collector’s
Edition (2007/Vivendi/Genius/RHI
TV Mini-Series Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B- Miniseries: B-
Outside
of the fact that Zooey Deschanel is absolutely beautiful the made for TV
miniseries Tin Man has very few
things going for it. There have been
many takes on the Frank Baum classic, but Tin
Man decidedly puts a modern, sci-fi spin on the traditional tale. The problem with the miniseries is the number
of liberties the writers took; that in the end are too tangential for this
reviewer’s taste. The film is visually
pleasing and has a huge amount of creativity; but as an OZ tale I find the
series lacking in substance. If it
wasn’t for the talented cast of actors the miniseries would have been a
complete miss.
The tale
switches back and forth between OZ (The Outer Zone) and the real world; using
Dorothy Gale’s [DG] (Zooey Deschanel) dream sequences to jump between the
worlds. It is eventually revealed that
OZ is part of DG’s past and she must go to OZ to confront her past and move
forward. Sadly this filming scheme
hardly works and is perplexing more than anything; with the transition from
‘reality’ to OZ being haphazard and awkward.
If
anything what worked for TIN MAN is
the visual experience, as the creators obviously placed in insane amount of
effort into creating the world of OZ.
The landscapes, castles, creatures and darkness are stunning; it is too
bad not much else about the series was.
The
technical features are a huge upgrade from the DVD release. The picture is presented in a 1080p MPEG-4
AVC Encoded 1.78 X 1 widescreen that boasts of brilliantly vivid colors while
maintaining well balanced and bold blacks.
The detail remains sharp throughout with a crisp, clean image that is
admirable. The audio is a DTS-HD 5.1
track that floods your room with sound from every angle. The directionality is nice and the ambient
noises are constantly increasing the viewing experience. The dialogue comes through clean and clear
without any distortion or issues.
Overall, the both the audio and visual experience can be described as
lively.
The
extras include a bunch of features I did not care much for, but fans of the
miniseries will be pleased to indulge in them.
The extras include Beyond the
Yellow Brick Road-Making of Tin Man; On the Set with the Director-Nick Willing;
Wizard Tricks-Bloopers and Gags; The Brain, Heart and Courage of the
Movie-Director and Cast Interviews; Raw and Uncut with Raoul Trujillo; Making
the Mystic Man with Richard Dreyfuss and Director Nick Willing.
For a
further look at the DVD release, please follow the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6705/Tin+Man+%E2%80%93+Collector%E2
- Michael P. Dougherty II
