Tin Man

[meddow]

Flatmates and I watched Tin Man, a sort of updated take on the Wizard of Oz (i.e. no silver makeup to be seen) I wouldn't call it a great work of art, but it cute and if you’re in the mood for a fantasy story, it's good way to spend a four and half hours.

Basically, some of the same stuff if there: tornado that sweeps the heroine away and she gains friends along her travels, in the form of former genius government advisor who has had his brain removed, a former cop seeking vengeance for his murdered family a psychic lion-esq creature that's in need of a spine. There's also an evil witch, a mystic man. And, most importantly, flying monkeys! (Cos it's just not the Wizard of Oz without flying monkeys).

The series wins at coming up with interesting and PG-rated ways of torturing people (the tin suit was particularly ingenious, I thought) And it manages to avoid your usual redemptive arc and goes for something else instead (redemptive arcs are something I've come to have a real distaste for lately unless it's done really, really well. I mean, why take a perfectly good villain and make them deep down just a woobie in need of hug? A incident in your childhood does not justify a violent coup). Cain – the Tin Man – is very crush-worthy. And there is Alan Cumming, who is predictably wonderful.

The SFX are at about Doctor Who level, so sometimes they're not all that effective. Furthermore, I really am starting to really hate the adopted parents raise the special child and then the child goes a rejoins his or her special parents thing. What about the adopted parent, who, you know, raised and educated and loved the kid to bits? Most of the time they're discarded. Raging against this trope is one of the reasons why Series One of Heroes is made of win. But those are really just minor quibbles.

Comments

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

The thing I hate about "redemptive arcs" -- not villain ones, but just messed up characters -- is that as soon as redemption is reached, they get killed off. Like, oh, the fact that they're on a better path and are capable of so much now is a waste of time. So fucking pointless.

My thing with the Bennett-Petrelli thing was, despite obvious closeness in the adoptive family, they were still trying to push the personal relationships of Claire and her biological family like they were just as emotionally tight. It was weird. I get that she was interested in genetic roots and where her powers came from, but then grandma and uncle like they're family in a way that they quite honestly weren't there for the window of being.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

And if they don't get killed off, they're never half as interesting as they were when they were messed up or evil. It's like being good=being boring.

I thought the Peter relationship was done actually quite right since the closeness wasn't because of genetics, but because of the shared traumatic experience of the Sylar attack and him being the first person like her she had met. And her relationship with Nathan and Angela always came off as awkward and and an exercise Angela trying to convince Claire of a bond that wasn't there so she could manipulate it.

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

Alan Cumming was the best part of that one to me - he's a great actor, and his character was so incredibly tragic. I did like Cain's angst, and his son (I love me some angst). I will not speak of the psychic lions. Or of Zooey Deschanel.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Lion was admittedly not that interesting, but then he wasn't very prominent so I didn't mind. Zooey Deschanel was a bit bland. But I still found her character likable so I didn't mind so much.

But, if it had just been Glitch and Cain running around being tragic, angsty and mismatched adventures, I'd have been very happy with Tin Man.

[settiai]

I have to admit, The Cain and Glitch Show Tin Man is one of my new obsessions. It's been a couple of months since the first time I watched it, and I've fallen for it despite the cheesiness and occasional stilted language.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

The cheesiness is rather endearing and while I did crack up a bit a some of the dialogue, I really like it as well. It's just one of those lovely little things with a big world and likeable characters to explore, which makes it totally obsession-worthy.

[jadeddiva.livejournal.com]

I loved Tin Man - especially Cain.

[meddow.livejournal.com]

Icon love!

I especially loved Cain as well (no surprises there). My flatmates and I spent the series shipping him with DG.

[julioangelortiz.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to catch this. Thanks for the reminder so that I can keep an eye out...

[meddow.livejournal.com]

No problem :)