The Wizard Of Oz has had quite a few adaptations, and most of them are not as well-known as the classic 1939 adaptation and its prequel directed by Sam Raimi. It seems that thanks to the success of Wicked, interest in Dorothy's adventures in the land of Oz has been revived. This adaptation is based on the Russian version of the original novel, which has certain differences from the original novel. Since it is a fairly well-known version in Russia, the film used this version of the manuscript for the script. It does not have many of the elements that made the 1939 film so iconic, but the truth is that this film turns out to be superior to the classic version. Here they gave a coherent justification for why the tornado transports Dorothy to the land of Oz. We have a version of Dorothy that belongs to the more contemporary era, but has that tender innocence and naivety of the original Dorothy. Toto was given dialogues and that is a very good contribution. The Scarecrow has a very adorable design that fits his personality and is better compared to the costume from the classic movie. The Tin Man is faithful to the original description and has an amazing robotic design that gives him a steampunk style. This character has a past about a forbidden love that motivates his desire to have a heart. The Cowardly Lion resembles what Disney did with The Lion King and the truth is that it is a design that surpasses its classic counterpart. Because there was no necessary technology, the lion had to be played by an actor in a costume in the original movie and then in the sequel they used an anachronistic one. This hyper-realistic CGI lion is better compared to its background. They knew how to maintain its personality so that instead of looking ridiculous, it looks cute and adorable. The Wicked Witch of the West has a different look than her classic version, but it is a good update. By telling only half of the story, that gave the opportunity to give a broader development to the plot by extending it and also extending the lore of this fantastic world. As Sam Raimi did with his prequel, this film explores more of the magic of the world of Oz. The classic film couldn't offer much due to limited resources, but they managed to make a good film. Thanks to digital technology, the wonderful world of Oz could now be better realized and the film is visually beautiful. It's not easy when dealing with a tale that was made popular by the MGM-produced film, but The Wizard Of Oz needed a new update so that new generations could enjoy this magical world in its full splendor. So this film is the update that the classic needed and they managed to do a magnificent job that makes this one of the best films in Russian cinema. Using the same formula as Dune, It and Les Trois Mousquetaires, this first part of the new adaptation of The Wizard Of Oz is an excellent introduction to a much more potential version of the story. My final rating for this film is 10/10.
