The WIZ

I think you should probably watch the rest before making a judgement.

Not saying you'll like it, and I agree the movie is flawed, but the score is wonderful.

Did she even get to Oz before you switched it off?

When done right it's a fun and tuneful take on the classic.

Also, I agree that the opening is lackluster. I've always thought they needed a better opening number.

Updated On: 7/22/15 at 11:22 AM

Based on not watching the whole movie. I can see not to base my viewing on your reviews.

Couple of things.

Firstly, the film is radically different from the stage show, and not in a good way. The stage version was/is a hipper version of The Wizard of Oz - Dorothy came from Kansas, and while there were plenty of references to contemporary black life, it was still pretty fantastical. The Film's Oz is a bizarre fun-house mirror of New York, and is to a degree obsessed with inner-city grime. It's not a good movie (though Michael Jackson and Ted Ross do phenominal work in it). They also rewrote the script significantly, which I imagine they will do again for NBC. That's fine, the script is pretty dated (funny, but dated). From where you say you stopped, you heard a grand total of TWO songs. You can't judge a score from two songs.

Which leads me to my second point. If you are going to go online and bather on about how you do not like something, actually WATCH the something you are judging in its completition. You have to actually take in a piece of art before condemning it*. The number of times I have found something to like in a piece that I thought I would find reprehensible is incalculable. If an excerpt from something, such as a film trailer, doesn't seem like it's going to grab you, that's fine. But you can't say "This is a terrible movie" unless you actually see it.

*with the obvious exception of Adam Sandler films. He's had his chance.

" Couple of things.

Firstly, the film is radically different from the stage show, and not in a good way. The stage version was/is a hipper version of The Wizard of Oz - Dorothy came from Kansas, and while there were plenty of references to contemporary black life, it was still pretty fantastical. The Film's Oz is a bizarre fun-house mirror of New York, and is to a degree obsessed with inner-city grime. It's not a good movie (though Michael Jackson and Ted Ross do phenominal work in it). They also rewrote the script significantly, which I imagine they will do again for NBC. That's fine, the script is pretty dated (funny, but dated). From where you say you stopped, you heard a grand total of TWO songs. You can't judge a score from two songs.

Which leads me to my second point. If you are going to go online and bather on about how you do not like something, actually WATCH the something you are judging in its completition. You have to actually take in a piece of art before condemning it*. The number of times I have found something to like in a piece that I thought I would find reprehensible is incalculable. If an excerpt from something, such as a film trailer, doesn't seem like it's going to grab you, that's fine. But you can't say "This is a terrible movie" unless you actually see it.



*with the obvious exception of Adam Sandler films. He's had his chance. "

^ ALL OF THIS + 24 X 7 divided by 365 to the 1,000th power. PREACH!

if something bores me there is no way I will sit through it. I even walked out of theatres when I paid for thickets. Last year I was the one to predict that Peter Pan will have a dramatic decrease in the viewers rates and so will happen with the Wiz. its not use ranting about it but time will tell.

"if something bores me there is no way I will sit through it. I even walked out of theatres when I paid for thickets. Last year I was the one to predict that Peter Pan will have a dramatic decrease in the viewers rates and so will happen with the Wiz. its not use ranting about it but time will tell."

And yet you sat through Peter Pan and Walken's 800 hours of saying dialogue...

haha.. I am going to stop only until December 4th when ratings come out.

How is this **** with a newcomer going to sell to 18 million viewers????? What they want are viewers and this piece is definitely not the answer. Before you reply I suggest we wait till dec 4th

musicaljen do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

The Wiz isn't a great movie, but it does have a wonderful score, and a couple of the songs are considered classics.

Don't be a dummy and judge a whole work on the first twenty minutes of an adaptation.

I suggest you start by following your own advice. See you on December 4th.

^ This. It seems that you have made up your mind without seeing the entire film and came on here to complain without wanting to hear anyone's opinion other than your own. Did you come on this forum to state ignorant nonsense and somehow think everyone would agree with your babble? By all means don't come back until Dec 4. But you have already made up your mind, so why bother even watching the NBC show?

"What they want are viewers and this piece is definitely not the answer."

Well, if you feel THE WIZ is definitely not the answer then what in your opinion is the answer? Don't make blanket statements like that about an alleged problem and then don't offer alternate solutions. No one respects that.

If you're so damned confident THE WIZ is the wrong move for NBC then why don't you write to NBC and come up with a more viable solution.

It's obvious your view(s) on THE WIZ are prejudiced and nothing anyone can say or do is going to sway your opinion on NBC's decision to broadcast this, so I am going to propose to you to do yourself a huge favor: DON'T WATCH IT.

It really is as simple as that.