Having been cooped up with a cold for the past week I have been watching a lot of tv and dvds and so I finally got around to watching this little gem of a mini series, consisting of three episodes of around 90 minutes each (not counting the adverts breaks which obviously won't be on the dvd) and made for, and originally aired on, the Sci-Fi channel.

This reimagining of Frank L Baum's 'The Wizard Of Oz' is the story of DG (Zooey Deschanel), a girl living in nowhere-ville dreaming of travelling. But then one night her home is invaded by 'Long-Coats', there to kill her to prevent her from saving the OZ (Outer Zone) from their evil mistress, the sorceress Azkadellia (Kathleen Robertson) who is desperately seeking an emerald that will help her in her evil plan. And so, jumping into a tornado with her parents, DG escapes the attack and wakes up in the OZ where she must find the emerald before Azkadellia with the help of the friends she meets on the way; Glitch (Alan Cumming), a man with a zipper in his head from where his brain has been removed because of something he knew, once a man of great intelligence now reduced to someone who can barely remember his own name; Wyatt Cain (Neal McDonough) an ex-cop or 'tin man' looking for revenge against Zero (Callum Keith Rennie), the leader of the Long Coats, who destroyed his family; and Raw (Raoul Trujillo), a man-beast who can see things past and future with his heart.

I really enjoyed this, it was fast paced, there were some great characters and the plot was a wonderful take on the well known story, making it more sci-fi than fantasy and the world of the OZ seem a much more realistic and dangerous place. Alan Cumming was especially wonderful as the forgetful and childlike Glitch who is clearly filling the role of the Scarecrow in the original story. Kathleen Robertson and Callum Keith Rennie were also particularly good, deliciously evil and menacing throughout. The costumes and sets were all beautiful and there were some great special effects, especially for something made for television.

Overall this mini-series is well worth a watch and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the dvd which I am sure will make a worthy addition to my collection.