The best thing, worst thing, and main thing about the IMAX 3D reissue of “The Wizard of Oz” in about the time it takes to watch the trailer.
REVIEW TEXT:
To the person sitting in front of me. I didn’t realize I was singing out loud until you turned around and looked at me. My sincerest apologies.
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“The Wizard of Oz” is back on the big screen… the really big screen in fact. Dorothy and the gang are now in IMAX 3D as it celebrates its 75th anniversary. Speaking of which, it’s a bit of a different review when a movie is already 75 years old, considering most people are already pretty sure of their opinion on it. So my job shifts from helping you know if you’ll like it to helping you know if the changes in presentation are worth the extra dollars to see it again.
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Short answer? yes. Long answer? yeeeeeeeeeees. Now, of course, everyone has a different reaction to 3D IMAX and I know I love it a bit more than most, but seeing this classic in this format was absolutely exhilarating for me. First off, the transfer is just about perfect. I’m not sure how they managed it but I could swear the thing was shot in 3D. There was no “paper doll” affect, and every piece felt perfectly placed in depth and scale. I also loved that the typical eye popping computer generated IMAX 3D opening was in 4:3 Black and White preparing us that this would be a different IMAX experience than most. But the best thing is just getting to see this movie again on a big screen. It’s a wonderfully fun experience and one you can’t help but sing along too, as the man sitting in front of me will attest.
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The only down side of seeing the movie this way is that it was almost too real. The 3D made the painted backgrounds a bit more obvious and the clarity of the picture made me realize exactly how fake those sets really were. I also found myself distracted by new revelations I had never seen before, like the hair line of wigs or the fact that many of the munchkins were played by children and not little people, including a member of the lollipop guild, how did I never notice that?!
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Plain and Simple, Wizard of Oz is a classic for a reason, it’s a great movie to watch anytime whether you are sitting at home on your couch or in front of a football sized screen wearing 3D glasses, and in my opinion there is enough new experience here to make a trip out worth your time. WIzard of OZ IMAX 3D is an A-
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