don't compensate for the ungainly writing, ho-hum characters and uneven performances, albeit under an assortment of fabulously garish outfits. "The occasional clever nods to the source. They've achieved that difficult balance with a fantastical vision of Oz as a grounded nation, cinema-worthy visuals, and particularly strong casting." "Like telling our own dream back to us, the challenge of taking on a tale this well known is a matter of getting eyebrows to raise so that eyes can't roll. Creator Matthew Arnold, showrunner Josh Friedman, and director Tarsem Singh have worked hard to define the unique edges of this, the thousandth incarnation of this popular story. "But believe it or not, you shouldn't need to keep the antacids close at hand when you check out Emerald City, NBC's gritty re-imagining of Dorothy Gale's adventures in Oz. The acid reflux you experience is also justified whenever they proclaim without shame or irony that it's going to be 'gritty'.
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"You're right to cringe whenever TV and film executives announce that they're 're-imagining' a beloved classic. Because even its greatest critical and creative triumphs - Hannibal foremost among them - have not turned out to be hits." Though NBC, more than almost any other broadcast network, has tried pushing the boundaries of what audiences expect from the Big Four, it still hesitates.
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"The series also feels a little hamstrung by its place on broadcast. There are prophesies and beasts and magic and a lot of simmering romances (yes even for the Wizard), though accents are all over the place and its 'one long movie"'structure leaves it episodically a little week.
"Essentially, think of this first season of Emerald City as a long origin story for Dorothy's adventures in a distinctly steampunk-y Oz, which plays out like any good mythological quest or half-decent RPG. (And, if I'm being honest, some royalties may also be due to the Outlander team.)" Martin - or for that matter, David Benioff and D.B. "Though it is billed as a dark new take on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which has inspired scores of adaptations over the past century, the 10-episode miniseries probably owes more to George R.R. If Emerald City, premiering Friday on NBC, is any indication, it's also become one of the most widely imitated. " Game of Thrones consistently ranks as one of TV's most pirated shows. "The Wizard does like to zone out to Pink Floyd, which is ballpark appropriate: Emerald City is TV as a prog-rock concept album, trippy and turgid." I can imagine the Moulin Rouge! approach, using pop mash-ups to match the pastiche construction. Singh's opus isn't a musical, but it might have been more amusing and lively as one.
The first two hours are a rocky, labored introduction, and I was ready to skip to the end by episode 4. They contribute to a feeling of a season that doesn't need to be 10 episodes long. "There are many subplots and tangents, and not all of them are interesting. Arjona fails to make this very complicated Dorothy as compelling as she should be she struggles to juggle and sell the array of responses - wonder, confusion, fear - she should have to Oz. "But as is often the case with, the drama is more static than kinetic - a consequence, perhaps, of his painterly symbolism.
The production values are impressive and the images are frequently stunning, including a final battle that pits The Wizard's army against a plague of metamorphic locusts. "As far as thrilling reinventions of The Wizard of Oz go, it's no Wicked or The Wiz. Just try to imagine anyone watching Emerald City saying the same." "Oh sure, you can play spot the influences in Judy Garland's Oz as well - but you also get the great joy of seeing those influences coalesce into something fresh and totally delightful. Everything about this city seems to have been borrowed from other lands: a little Lord of the Rings here, a little Grimm's Fairy Tales there. "There are moments in Emerald City that are involving and scenes that are visually appealing, but none that are particularly distinctive.
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