Apocalypse Oz

What do you get when you throw Apocalypse Now and The Wizard of Oz in a blender? Something like Apocalypse Oz.

Dorothy Willard, delinquent Amerasian offspring of the Vietnam War, lives with her horrible aunt and uncle. Desperate to get the hell out of Kansas, she accepts a mission to go deep into the desert to hunt down an insane, renegade US Army colonel codenamed 'The Wizard' and terminate him with extreme prejudice.

It's a fantastic concept for a short film that could either have gone very right or very wrong. Fortunately it's handled in a very creative fashion, shot well, and the ride down the yellow brick road is a fun one. Alexandra Gizela makes a great Dorothy for this apocalyptic version—angsty, sarcastic, bubble-gum blowing and tough as nails.  M.C. Gainey is crazed but charismatic as the Wizard/Kurtz. The cast is surprising good overall.

Apocalypse Oz is filled with neat references to both of its parent films, often in twisted little ways you might not have expected. A lot of them had me smiling. Toto makes a brief and blackly hilarious appearance, the ruby slippers get a major upgrade, and the wicked witch is quite a racist this time around.

The script was written under some rules, including this one: there is no original dialogue in the film at all. All lines come strictly from one of the parent films. Most lines ‘sample’ or re-arrange dialogue from both films. If you're a fan of either film—or better yet, both—you'll probably get a kick out the dialogue.

All in all Apocalypse Oz is good fun, and if you get a chance to see it I recommend doing so.  It's a unique little picture that's worth 25 minutes of your time. There's no horror like home!