The Wizard of Oz (1939)
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 147 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 132 out of 147
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 147
  3. Negative: 12 out of 147

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  1. toeheadterrors
    Apr 19, 2011
    10
    i love the friendship of Dorothy and her companions, no matter what happens they stick together. Perhaps that's why it strikes such a chord with us all.
  2. TheTacoShack
    Dec 6, 2011
    3
    I never liked this movie. Even when I was a small child. :/ Sorry it's just overrated in my honest opinion.....................................................................................................................
  3. dis_staVAN
    Apr 5, 2013
    10
    I watch. Watch good. VCR break. Went to shop. Told VCR no work. I know. Told buy DVD. No money. Go home. Now sad. Write review. 3/10 stars. Dis stavan.
  4. DamienDarko777
    May 6, 2011
    10
    The quintessential fantasy film. Everyone should see it at least once. Not only is it great fun, it slyly embodies great wisdom. A masterpiece of cinema.
  5. csw12
    Apr 2, 2012
    10
    A classic like no other. It is simple but deep. Its message resonates in everyone. One of the greatest movies of all time. You will leave the movie feeling you watch something of a true genius.
  6. MichaelD
    Apr 10, 2011
    7
    I have to say this movie is not my type but since it's a classic, you may as well watch it.
  7. 4EverGreen
    Feb 16, 2011
    10
    I consider this movie to be the birth of the modern movie film industry, mainly because this cinematic masterpiece set a high standard for all movies to measure themselves against for many years to come! The songs and music are absolutely perfect, the choreography is amazing, every line said is a memorable one, the settings, paintings, props, and make-up used to create the unique location, characters, and objects featured in the land of Oz are absolutely incredible (especially when you consider this film was made way back in 1939!) All of the actors play their roles to perfection. When they experience something, you believe they are experiencing it! This is one of the films that I was first raised on, and one that I enjoy as much as I do today as I have when I was growing up. Time has been powerless to make any of the special effects (which can still hold their own even against modern C.G.I. efforts) feel like they are antiques, and the amount of effort and skill required to completely pull this movie together is nothing short of incredible! This is a film you will want to watch, to see what it's like for someone to go somewhere over the rainbow, follow a yellow brick road, go off to see the wizard in the merry old land of Oz, and watch characters singing about what it would be like to have a brain, a heart, or the nerve! I highly enjoy this movie, and so will all cinematic movie enthusiasts of all ages who enjoy seeing quality movies! Enough said!… Expand
  8. bonidex
    Mar 28, 2011
    10
    I saw this in 2011 and thought what a perfect movie it is. It is simple, beautiful, has great acting and speaks to the heart. I'm off to the see the wizard. The wonderful wizard of Oz...
  9. Spielberg00
    Sep 15, 2011
    7
    I still cannot take it into my mind how exactly THE WIZARD OF OZ is a classic. For about two years, it was my favorite film ever, but that was between the ages of 6 and 8--when I really hadn't seen anything decent at all. That's surely not to say that this is in any way a bad film. Sure, it started the whole "Oh, well, really, I woke up, and I realized--the whole thing was all a dream!" concept that began to become an old joke as soon as it started, but, looking at the glass halfway full rather than halfway empty, at least this started something. And, to add to that, it's been, what...72 years since this was first realized? Unlike many of the other films of the late '30s, this definitely isn't one of those titles that I could name out of a total grab bag and you would say, "What's that?" or, "Nope, I don't recognize it." Instead, if I said this film's title, you would most likely say, "Oh, yeah! I remember seeing that!"… Expand
  10. Sachi
    Dec 6, 2011
    10
    The Wizard of OZ is a nice children's film that is a delight to watch as well as provides a smart historical connection that is just unforgettable. The morals and lessons that the movie provides are very astounding and the musicals can get really annoying though. The plot is fairly simple but very well crafted as you will be drawn into the plot, it wont break your brain or force you to overthink so it is a nice fun plot. The acting is very good as the transitions are great too. The script is very well written and emotionally profounding that is so easily remembered. The relationships of the characters and their depths and progression through the story is so great that it strikes a chord with us all. There are hardly any flaws in the movie except for too many musicals that it becomes just darn annoying and some emphasis is lost due to it but this is such a minor flaw. Overall, The Wizard of Oz is a great movie that is so great that it will forever be remembered like "The Godfather". Breakdown for "The Wizard of Oz": Presentation: 9.8, Plot: 9.9, Acting: 10, Dialogue: 10, Lasting Appeal: 10, Verdict: 9.9 out of 10 "Amazing"… Expand
  11. Zilcell
    Nov 12, 2011
    6
    Classic or not, it bored me to death. It will bore anybody to death who doesn't care about the characters. The story was good but I just couldn't enjoy this movie too much. I think that if you are the kind of person that cares about these old movies, then you'll enjoy it.
  12. lasttimeisaw
    Apr 16, 2013
    8
    My early plan to watch Sam Raimi’s OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (2013) has been successfully foiled by the tepid reviews and in fear of another ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010, 6/10) travesty, then it stroke to me that I had never even watched the worldly-famous 1939 version, it must be a presumably safe and better alternative.

    I’m indisputably way past the age which will be exalting to watch th    h this family-friendly vaudeville for the very first time, I wish I could have done that around my childhood year so I would be more in shock-and-awe admiration for this haute crowd-pleaser and ground-breaking studio-based product.

    It all begins in Kansas, young Dorothy lives in a farm with his uncle and auntie, (after a melancholic rendition of OVER THE RAINBOW, still astounding and flawless) her tentative runaway with her cuddly puppy Toto has been persuaded by Professor Marvel (a very first introduction of multi-personae performance from Frank Morgan), en route, a twister rampages the farm and Dorothy and Toto (along with the house) has been brought to Wizard Oz’s wonderland with the casualty of a star-crossed wicked witch (crushed by the house accidentally), and the shoddy superimposition of the airborne journey may be cutting-edge 74 years earlier, sadly it barely works even under an uncritical eye.

    The tangible visual transference from sepia farmland to the variegated Oz land grants a soothing refreshment and heralds a jovial adventure ahead, sing-a-longs with DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD (new entry at No. 2 in this week at UK Singles Chart in the wake of Thatcher’s death), it is just carefree and mollifying one’s hard-pressed nerves (if you have those). Then the classic characters (Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion) successively accompany Dorothy to meet the great and mighty Oz.

    Despite of its all-comprising industry-reeking indoor design, it is a marvel how the film could be made in such a laborious scale and obedient order at its time, entering the second half of the film, when insouciant singing-and-dancing gives its way to the escapade of taking back the broomstick of The Wicked Witch of the West, all the set pieces are incontrovertibly stale and the logic of the story sags into an untenable farce (no specific elucidation of how the witch would succumb to a basin of water or what is so special about the red shoes the witch is hankering for, et al). The guarded-gate of the witch’s castle must be the recipient of the homage from Sauron’s gate from THE LORD OF THE RINGS.

    Acting-wise, Judy Garland is humble, mawkish but naturalistic in delivering jejune lines, Bert Lahr’s Lion and Ray Bolger’s Scarecrow otherwise are the film’s best offers, also Margaret Hamilton’s heinous witch, simply wish she had more venom to spill.

    Overall, it is a cartoon-ish adaption of children’s best-known bedtime story, may be predisposed to be an overrated sensation which stands flimsily after a serious filmic anatomy, but the bent of director Victor Fleming and his crew has been testified positively through the arduous endeavour, and one can still relish 75-or-so years after its inception.    … Expand
  13. Ips207
    Mar 15, 2012
    10
    Never gets old. i watched the movie at the age of 6, i still think its a beautiful fantasy musical with some pretty good songs that you won't forget. It's definitely a must-watch to all those kiddies out there.
  14. Trev29
    Aug 27, 2012
    7
    This movie is such a classic and such an important movie to cinema. I do appreciate this movie so much, but I can't pretend like I actually am in love with this movie. Who cares what I say though....it is a must see.
  15. Official
    Sep 6, 2012
    7
    I think this film is overrated by the critics. The film isn't a total disaster, but it just doesn't meet my standards after reading so many people's comments about how classical it is. However, it is still a film worth watching, even though it is made 70 years ago. My score: 71/100
  16. Delixu
    May 19, 2012
    10
    Without a shadow of doubt, one of the greatest films ever made, and the greatest children movie ever made. Watching The Wizard of Oz is an something one must do in a lifetime, at least a couple dozen times. Brilliant.
  17. kwbmusicman
    Jul 6, 2012
    10
    This film is beyond classic status now. I can't imagine film without it. The characters are so wonderful and the story is simple and elegant. The music is absolutely top-notch. Please watch this film and share it with your friends, families, and especially with your children (if you have them).
  18. pensaul
    Oct 5, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The technical colors is brilliant, the film is provided for all age s of viewers. For those viewers who like adventure, fantasy, comedy and musical entertainment; This film follows Dorothy along the yellow brick road in which she encounters meeting new friends and adventures. The story has a life lesson, that shows how we may already have what we think we want on the other side of the fence, per say, and discover, as Dorothy says, with her friends and family there really is "no place like home."… Expand
  19. Compi24
    Nov 28, 2012
    7
    A very cogently written classic with memorable characters and imagery.
  20. AngelofMusicDT
    Jan 18, 2013
    10
    This has been my favorite movie since I was a little kid. The story line is a classic from the book though its a slightly bit different. Judy Garland is one of my favorite actresses and she is the main reason I keep watching this movie. My children will watch this movie as they grow up.
  21. mds03
    Apr 13, 2013
    8
    Absolutely horrifying, but that doesn't mean it's not great. Definitely the most original and entertaining movie of its time. I really want there to be a remake.
  22. Screenager
    Apr 5, 2013
    6
    Many may find me odd for giving a score lower than a 9 but truthfully I found the movie to be overlong and boring, the cinematography however is the stand-out feature of the movie. Despite my love for classics, this one is somewhat overrated.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
100 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 4 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    Feb 16, 2011
    100
    The Wizard of Oz remains the weirdest, scariest, kookiest, most haunting and indelible kid-flick-that's-really-for-adults ever made in Hollywood.
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  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    Feb 16, 2011
    100
    This is one vintage film that fully lives up to its classic status and should play with outstanding success to contemporary audiences of all ages.
    Read full review
  3. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Stack
    Feb 16, 2011
    100
    This wonderful romp of a movie looks magical on the big screen: colors are a picnic for the eyes, details loom so clearly you can practically touch them and there's a sense of the larger-than-life with a film that's already larger than life.
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