Like a feature length episode of Barney and Friends

Rating: 3/10 (28 February 2015)

I rewatched "The Wizard of Oz" (1939) this week for the first time in ages, and was emphatically reminded about how much it sucked. It's basically a feature length episode of "Barney and Friends", with better production values. Performances are extremely exaggerated, which is intentional, but they are also insufferably awful and nauseating. This is the most obnoxious band of protagonists I've seen in a long time. So much so that it makes the film impossible to enjoy. Some of the songs are good, but some are garbage. Don't even get me started on the castle sequence. Good production isn't enough to elevate a film that is pathetic in nearly every other category.
"Return To Oz" (1985) is a far better film; and it's not even close. Better performances, better conflicts, better resolutions . . . better everything. This is much darker in tone and has some very creepy sequences too. It's also very creative and somewhat bizarre. The special effects are damn cool, especially the rock monsters. "Return To Oz" was a box office failure that was cast into the dust bin of forgotten films, while the vomit-inducing original is placed on a pedestal.