Le Magicien de la ville d'émeraude : La Route de briques jaunes

After reading the "original" "The wizard of the Emerald City" by Volkov (which is an adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"), my daughter was very eager to see this movie. She kind of liked it, though the movie is a little dark and scary. Graphics is really good and the yellow brick road scenery is very beautiful. The mix of jokes based on the cross between magical land and the modern life is funny. I also liked that the authors decided to rework a bit the classical story and to add some characters from the second Volkov's book about "Urfin Juice and the wooden solders": the Urfin Juice himself and the crow Kaggi-Kar (though here it is not a crow, but some other tropical bird species). On the other hand Witch of the Violet land Bastinda (Wicked Witch of the West) got an important role during the whole movie, and not just in the second part as in the book.

The biggest disappointment is that the movie is split in two parts and finishes when the friends come to the Emerald city. Nevertheless, we decided that it is worthy adaptation (of the adaptation 😊) are impatiently waiting for the second part.

T's time for me to share my impressions of the movie "The Wizard of the Emerald City: The Road of Yellow Brick." I want to say that the film is truly magical and exciting. The intrigue starts right from the beginning, and you really care about the characters during the movie.

Ekaterina Chervova did a wonderful job playing Ellie. At first, her character was a bit stubborn and argued a lot, but when she arrived in the magical land of the Whimsies, the adventures took over, and she began to change right before our eyes.

I was also really impressed by Svetlana Khodchenkova. It's unusual to see her in such a fierce role, but she fits perfectly, and I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Bastinda.

I believe that you should definitely see this film in theaters because it's the most interesting and colorful fairy tale you can find right now.

"The Wizard of the Emerald City" (2025): A Disappointing Journey into Fantasy The film The Wizard of the Emerald City, which premiered in January 2025, sparked a wave of discontent among viewers. Expectations were high for this ambitious project, supported by the Russian Cinema Fund, but reality fell short, leaving audiences disappointed. Let's analyze what went wrong.

Budget and Execution One of the primary complaints from viewers is the film's visual component. Despite claims of a significant budget, the movie's graphics feel outdated and fail to meet modern standards. At times, the special effects resemble those seen in early 2000s films, when visual effects technology was still in its infancy.

Plot Structure The script feels fragmented and underdeveloped. The narrative unfolds superficially, lacking deep character development or emotional engagement. The most glaring issue is that the film ends halfway through the story, leaving audiences without a complete narrative arc. This abrupt cutoff is especially frustrating for viewers expecting a cohesive story.

Negative Role Model for Children: The Case of Ellie The portrayal of the main character, Ellie, deserves special attention. Instead of showcasing her as a strong and determined figure growing through her journey, the film presents her as a capricious and self-centered girl overly reliant on others' help. This approach risks promoting a negative behavioral model, especially for young viewers who might look to Ellie as a role model.

Ellie frequently acts like an immature character, seeking validation and direction from others rather than developing her own skills and decisions. Unlike the original story, where Ellie is portrayed as more independent and resolute, this adaptation undermines essential qualities such as self-reliance and responsibility.

Furthermore, the film endorses a troubling pattern of behavior in which betraying friends remains unpunished if it serves Ellie's goals. She makes choices that undermine trust and violate moral principles, but these actions are ultimately forgiven with mere weak apologies. This sends a dangerous message: that betraying trust and prioritizing personal goals over friendships carries no serious consequences. For a young audience, this is a deeply concerning takeaway.

Unexpected Ending and Marketing Missteps One of the most contentious aspects is the lack of prior disclosure that the film is only the first part of a larger story. The abrupt plot cutoff provoked widespread discontent since viewers were not informed about this format. Advertising materials and the film's description led audiences to expect a complete, standalone work, which some see as misleading.

Ethical and Legal Concerns From a legal perspective, the creators' actions could be interpreted as a violation of consumer rights. Russian law requires full and accurate disclosure of product or service information. If the omission of the film's sequel was intentional, it could be classified as unfair practice.

Positive Aspects It is worth noting that the film does have some strengths. The musical score effectively enhances the atmosphere, and certain visual elements are commendable. Additionally, despite its flaws, the project managed to draw attention to Russian cinema-albeit with a negative undertone.

Conclusion The Wizard of the Emerald City turned out to be a disappointing project that failed to meet audience expectations despite significant investments. Outdated visuals, inefficient budget use, an underwhelming script, and the lack of transparency regarding its format as "part one" all contribute to the overall sense of frustration. Negative elements, such as poor character portrayal and the promotion of selfish behavior, further exacerbate the film's shortcomings. The movie leaves viewers with a sense of incompleteness, and unless the creators address these issues moving forward, the project risks not only failure but also losing the audience's trust.

I don't know English text via Google translator.

A short review by an ordinary Russian viewer who watched this film in a cinema during the New Year holidays with a child.

Entrance: I am a movie buff: I have more than 2000 films watched in my profile here.

I have never written reviews.

I have not read "The Wizard of Oz" (the Russian adaptation is called "The Wizard of the Emerald City") and have not watched films in this universe before. All this passed me by, going to the cinema I did not want to watch this film at all because all this is designed for children.

Review: After watching I liked it, yes, the film is for children, but in general I was surprised by how it was filmed that the film is Russian - I thought such graphics are only in Hollywood. I do not watch fairy tales, but here "I had to" I think you understand me. Only the next day after watching it, when I went to give it 7 points on IMDB, I found out that this film was Russian - imagine how surprised I was at that moment and even read the story that it turns out there is such a book...

The film has good music, graphics, there is a scale, the style is reminiscent of Hollywood fairy tales, yes, the character of Ellie is naive, but what do you expect from a child? And the book is old, although the script was adapted for our time, but you need to understand that children acted differently in the past, imagine that Ellie does not live in a big city, but in some backwater, so she has her own manner of acting.

I can safely recommend watching it with children 6-10 years old.

I'm a big fan of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and I have watched every version of this story in various forms. I hadn't heard about this movie until today, so I decided to watch it and I had fun with it.

Positives for The Wizard of the Emerald City (2025): It's always interesting for me to see different iterations of a story I know from different filmmakers. The acting from the cast is very good. The production value with the movies sets and costumes look good. I liked the more modernized update to this story. The pacing is pretty good for this first movie. And finally, the movie ends on a note that has me interested in the sequel.

Negatives for The Wizard of the Emerald City (2025): The dubbing for these characters is hilarious to watch and it took me out of the movie in almost every scene. Also, the next movie doesn't come out until 2027 and that feelings too long for this story.

Overall, The Wizard of the Emerald City (2025) is a good modern iteration of The Wizard of Oz story and I do look forward to watching the sequel.