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After watching Wicked for Good last month, and with February being Black History Month and all, what better time to revisit the blaxploitation-flavored adaptation of Frank L. Baum’s classic tale: 1978’s The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and a pre-solo-superstardom Michael Jackson?
On paper, The Wiz has everything it needs to stand alongside the 1939 classic starring Judy Garland. But a string of baffling creative choices turns what should have been a bold reimagining into one of the most disappointing musicals I’ve ever seen.
When Harlem schoolteacher Dorothy is miraculously whisked away to an urban fantasy land called Oz, she goes in search of the Wiz, a wizard who can help her get back to Manhattan, along with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowar…
The Wiz—a title I can’t help but associate with urinating—reimagines Oz and the Emerald City as a fantastical spin on New York. Familiar landmarks pop up everywhere, redesigned in a stylized way, but the effect often makes the film feel like a photographed stage production rather than a fully realized cinematic world. Rarely do the characters seem to inhabit a tangible, lived-in reality. And when they do—like during the flying monkey chase inside that cavernous building—the location feels barely transformed, as if no real effort was made to elevate it into something magical or distinctly Oz-like.
The same problem extends to the characters. Everyone looks exactly like what they are: performers in costumes and makeup. Their designs feel lifted straight from the stage production, with little attempt to adapt them convincingly for film. At no point do you truly believe the Tin Man is made of tin. And Michael Jackson’s Scarecrow wanders around with what looks distractingly like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrapper stuck to his face.
The Lion fares best in the makeup department—his facial work is the most convincing of the central quartet—but even he can’t escape the stagey aesthetic. His outfit looks precisely like what it is: a costume, complete with an oversized, obviously fake tail swishing behind him.
These are clearly deliberate choices—the budget was more than generous, and the talent involved was accomplished across the board. Yet none of it quite works. Despite the fact that nearly every scene unfolds on sprawling, purpose-built sets, the film never fully convinces me of its own premise. It feels constructed rather than conjured.
Casting Diana Ross as Dorothy is especially peculiar. She unquestionably has the vocal power, but dramatically she’s far less assured. More importantly, making Dorothy a twenty-something creates an odd disconnect, since the role is fundamentally written for someone much younger. The emotional arc simply doesn’t land the way it should. Her co-stars don’t fare much better—they’re dynamic singers and committed performers, but when it comes to giving their characters real depth, the film comes up short.
Aside from the art direction, the pacing is a major stumbling block. At 2 hours and 15 minutes, the film feels inexplicably bloated for a story that isn’t particularly complex. It takes about a half hour or so just to get Dorothy to Oz, and even then the narrative drifts as it slowly assembles the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
The momentum repeatedly grinds to a halt so characters can burst into song, yet many of these numbers barely advance the plot—if at all. The same goes for several elaborate dance sequences, where dozens of performers execute tightly choreographed routines that, while technically impressive, have no narrative impact. They feel less like organic storytelling and more like padding, stretching the runtime without deepening the journey.
Aside from “Brand New Day” and “Ease on Down the Road”, The Wiz lacks the kind of truly memorable songs that can elevate a mediocre musical into a good—or even great—one. With this much talent involved, you’d expect more than just two numbers to emerge as lasting hits. Instead, most of the score drifts by pleasantly but anonymously, leaving little behind once the curtain falls.
On paper, The Wiz looks like a sure thing: a beloved story, a bold new concept, and an impressive amount of musical talent. In execution, however, it turns into a slog—a bloated, oddly inert musical that never quite lives up to its dazzling premise.
