Movie Review: DOROTHY AND THE WITCHES OF OZ

There have been several attempts over the years to do a sequel, a spinoff or totally redo The Wizard of Oz but none have come close to match the original classic, until now... This is a movie I think the original filmmakers and cast would be proud of... DOROTHY AND  THE WITCHES OF OZ is that movie! It was written and directed by Leigh Scott, it's also an independent film which means there are no huge studios behind this special gem that could absolutely go up against any movie the studios are throwing at the multiplexes this weekend or any other weekend!

The movie follows a grown Dorothy who now lives in New York City and writes children's books. She has a team that surrounds her, some you can tell are good and some you question. As the movie goes along she finds out her books are actually based on her repressed memories and she begins to remember all of the events that have happened, everything and everyone from her past to present day. This ultimately leads to a battle with the Wicked Witch of the West and her new army. All of this takes place in New York!

Now, there are quite a few standouts in the movie so first up is the story, which to me there hasn't been a movie to even come close to the original Oz and Scott has pulled this off with an abundance of imagination!  Next we have Eliza Swenson who portrays Billie Westbrook, Dorothy's agent. There is no way I'm going to spill too much on her character or any other but let's just say I was totally impressed by her performances. Now we get to some of the cast and there's really too many to mention so let's just get to Paulie Rojas who pulls off her character Dorothy to a perfection. I could tell she went back and watched the original or at least it comes across like she did with her mannerisms and how she interacts with others at times. Other standouts include Lance Henriksen, Jeffrey Combs, Barry Ratcliffe (who is fun to watch), Mia Sara (yes she is in this!), Billy Boyd, Sean Astin and Ethan Embry who play Frick and Frack. All of the acting is great and each one makes their characters their own in Dorothy and the Witches of Oz.

Another major standout in the movie is Scott's camera and the special F/X which are all pulled off beautifully for an indie film. There is so much imagination and hard work that has been put into this movie and it all shows and pays off on screen! When you add these to the great cast and story and you top it off with some really cool background music/score, it just makes this movie something really special, dare I say a modern day classic? The right music/score always makes a scene better! Yes!

Bottom line is, Dorothy and the Witches of Oz is an instant classic! It has a PG rating and clocks in at around 1 Hour 40 Minutes which is a good running time, not too short and not too long  It's a movie for all ages and a project some studios could definitely take a few notes from! I have fallen in love with this movie!  4.5/5