The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz celebrates its 75^th Anniversary this year and Warner Bros. are celebrating with a special one week only IMAX 3D re-release of the classic film. For longtime fans, it’s the chance to see Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion on the big screen again. For others, it’s the chance to introduce the film to a whole new generation of movie goers.

While The Wizard of Oz was notable when it first came out for its extensive makeup, special effects, and one of the earliest uses of Technicolor, today’s technologies of IMAX and 3D don’t fit quite as well with a film of this age. Sure, the film itself holds up well, but the extra features (and costs that come with it) feel unnecessary and forced.

The film is presented in its original 4:3 aspect ratio and is simply blown up for the big screen. The quality has been faithfully restored so it looks great in theaters, but it definitely doesn’t take full advantage of being in IMAX. It’s bigger, yes, but bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. The same can be said about the 3D elements.

 The 3D doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look great either. You’ll barely notice the subtle variations on screen. Munchkin Land looks the best, with vivid colors and vibrant landscapes, but the rest of the film simply isn’t that noticeable in terms of 3D. Simply put, The Wizard of Oz doesn’t benefit all that much from today’s technology, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Wizard of Oz is a great movie and having the opportunity to see it in theaters again is fantastic. Unfortunately, the IMAX and 3D touchups don’t have much of an effect on the overall quality of the film, making it not worth the full asking price of seeing it the way Warner Bros. wants you too. The Blu-ray or one of the many DVD re-releases of the film should suffice if you’re just looking to see the film in a decent quality. The IMAX 3D version is only for the most dedicated of fans and even then, it’s a pretty hard sell.