Rating: 
Summary: Elijah Wood is amazing!!
Review: I thought this movie was great. I am a huge fan of Elijah Wood and he is outstanding in this film. Richard Dreyfuss plays a very comical Fagin which I guess you probably won't mind unless you love Charles Dickens, I didn't mind him at all. However there is one flaw, Oliver. Alex Trench has got to be the worst kid they could have picked to be Oliver, and he's so annoying!!! But don't let that stop you from getting the movie. Elijah's performance alone pretty much makes up for that kid. A great family film. Watch it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Awful Adaptation!
Review: I'm usually a big fan of Disney movies but I didn't like their adaptation of Oliver Twist. This movie was on TV last week and you would think that with talented actors like Richard Dreyfuss and Elijah Wood that it would be a great movie but I actually thought this 1997 Disney version of Oliver Twist was awful and there are much better movie adaptations of the classic book by Charles Dickens, including the muscial Oliver.
Rating:
Summary: Atrocious, nihilistic perversion of Dickens' classic
Review: In this "updated" version of Oliver Twist, Oliver becomes a cunning, greedy little brat who's forever lying, cheating and stealing to get or recover possession of the gold locket his mother left him. Thus an ingenious but incidental plot device in Dicken's novel becomes the very unchildlike obsession around which all the action in the film revolves; in fact, my daughter suggested after viewing the film that it should be re-named "The Locket." Dickens' caricatures of figures like Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney become stock and cartoonish, as the script strains to present Industrial Revolution England in as bad a light as possible, and Richard Dreyfuss as Fagin betrays a complete lack of understanding of that character. Stick with David Lean's 1948 production of "Oliver Twist" with an all-British cast, including Obie Wan Kenobe/Alec Guinness, and let this version go into the incinerator!
Rating:
Summary: A Fun And Funny Film Meant For All
Review: It's not quite Dickens' classic novel, but then again, I ask you; what is? "Oliver Twist" is a brilliant film despite the fact that the story is not quite the way old Charles Dickens wrote it. When viewing this film one must remember that it was meant to appeal to a great number of people and not just to those who love literature. It was also meant to be a family film, which is why it is not as dreary or complicated as the original novel was.
One must also remember too, that this film was originally created for television.
The cast is great, especially Elijah Wood who played the Artful Dodger and Antoine Byrne who played Nancy. The young boy who played Oliver could have been a little better prepared for the part, but still he did a wonderful job. I have also never seen anyone portray Fagin in such an amusing manner as Richard Dreyfuss.
Overall the film is fun as well as funny and is sure to be an enjoyment to the entire family. For those who want to see a film that is based more closely to the novel I would suggest trying another version.
Rating: 
Summary: Mr. Wood Saved the Movie
Review: Let me start of by saying that my title line is not prompted by any fan girlieness!
I borrowed this movie from a friend and found it much better then I had expected. Visually it was easy to look at, but not so much as to be unbeleivable. Dreyfuss was wonderful and very fun to watch. Elijah Wood lived up to what I've come to expect from his films. His portrayal of the Artful Dodger was both funny and heart breaking at same time. And his accent managed to stay in place rather well. My biggest qualm is the kid they got to play Oliver, he comes across as pretty shallow and unemotive or whiny at best. The character of Oliver was surprisingly badly written as he came across as a rather selfish little boy who cared for no one except himself and his mother's necklace. While Nancy and the Dodger both go unhappy fates ultimatly, for him.
I'd reccomend it as a fun watch, so long as you can ignore the title character!
Rating: 
Summary: Disney version is TWISTed beyond belief.
Review: OLIVER TWIST, the Charles Dickens novel of crime and childhood corruption in Victorian England, is perhaps one of the most adapted works in film. With such classic characters such as the innocent Oliver Twist, the master-thief Fagin, the touching Nancy and the comical Mr. Bumble, adapting the novel to the screen has proved to be a filmmaker and actor's dream. Probably the best versions out today are the classic 1951 David Lean version and the merry 1968 musical version, OLIVER! Of course, there are many other film and TV versions as well. This 1997 version produced by Walt Disney Co. for their "Wonderful World of Disney" TV show is unfortunately one of the lesser versions of this classic tale despite some handsome production values. Part of the reasoning of this low opinion stems from a rather rambling screenplay that almost completely changes the title character (played by Alex Trench) from a put-upon victim into an overly spunky and almost overly abrasive tyke. It's not Trench's fault in that he does a good job with this rather false characterization, but he ends up seeming more suited to playing the Artful Dodger than Oliver Twist. In contrast, Elijah Wood's performance as the Artful Dodger comes across as overly mannered and laid back. As a result, his Dodger seems ill-equipped emotionally to be a "street educated" tough. The pivotal role of Fagin, that master teacher of young pickpockets, has undergone much revision since Dickens first created him. Originally a slimy, nasty Jewish stereotype, the character has been softened to the point of sometimes being comic relief. Of course, this is due to modern sensibilities that have dictated the de-emphasis on racial stereotypes. That in itself isn't a bad thing as Ron Moody's masterful performance in OLIVER! showed, but Richard Dreyfus seems ill-prepared in the role. Wandering around in a false nose and gravelly voice, Dreyfus is inconsistent in the role and turns a star turn into something merely average. David O' Hara and Antoine Byrne are more successful in their roles of the brutal Bill Sikes and his ill-fated lover, Nancy. Unfortunately, the screenplay gives these characters rather short shift and they don't get much of a chance to make an impression. Indeed, the movie streamlines the classic story to an almost absurd degree with the elimination of classic characters and situations such as Mr. Bumble and Oliver's apprenticeship to the funeral parlor of the cruel Sowerberrys. At about 90 minutes, the movie seems to go faster than it does because of the absurd trimming. The Walt Disney Company does not do the classic story justice and leaves the viewer feeling very unsatisfied as a result. This movie may be handsome to look at, but this is not a version that I would recommend. Stick with the classic David Lean or 1968 musical version for a better and more satisfying experience.
Rating:
Summary: Disney version is TWISTed beyond belief.
Review: OLIVER TWIST, the Charles Dickens novel of crime and childhood corruption in Victorian England, is perhaps one of the most adapted works in film. With such classic characters such as the innocent Oliver Twist, the master-thief Fagin, the touching Nancy and the comical Mr. Bumble, adapting the novel to the screen has proved to be a filmmaker and actor's dream. Probably the best versions out today are the classic 1951 David Lean version and the merry 1968 musical version, OLIVER! Of course, there are many other film and TV versions as well. This 1997 version produced by Walt Disney Co. for their "Wonderful World of Disney" TV show is unfortunately one of the lesser versions of this classic tale despite some handsome production values. Part of the reasoning of this low opinion stems from a rather rambling screenplay that almost completely changes the title character (played by Alex Trench) from a put-upon victim into an overly spunky and almost overly abrasive tyke. It's not Trench's fault in that he does a good job with this rather false characterization, but he ends up seeming more suited to playing the Artful Dodger than Oliver Twist. In contrast, Elijah Wood's performance as the Artful Dodger comes across as overly mannered and laid back. As a result, his Dodger seems ill-equipped emotionally to be a "street educated" tough. The pivotal role of Fagin, that master teacher of young pickpockets, has undergone much revision since Dickens first created him. Originally a slimy, nasty Jewish stereotype, the character has been softened to the point of sometimes being comic relief. Of course, this is due to modern sensibilities that have dictated the de-emphasis on racial stereotypes. That in itself isn't a bad thing as Ron Moody's masterful performance in OLIVER! showed, but Richard Dreyfus seems ill-prepared in the role. Wandering around in a false nose and gravelly voice, Dreyfus is inconsistent in the role and turns a star turn into something merely average. David O' Hara and Antoine Byrne are more successful in their roles of the brutal Bill Sikes and his ill-fated lover, Nancy. Unfortunately, the screenplay gives these characters rather short shift and they don't get much of a chance to make an impression. Indeed, the movie streamlines the classic story to an almost absurd degree with the elimination of classic characters and situations such as Mr. Bumble and Oliver's apprenticeship to the funeral parlor of the cruel Sowerberrys. At about 90 minutes, the movie seems to go faster than it does because of the absurd trimming. The Walt Disney Company does not do the classic story justice and leaves the viewer feeling very unsatisfied as a result. This movie may be handsome to look at, but this is not a version that I would recommend. Stick with the classic David Lean or 1968 musical version for a better and more satisfying experience.
Rating:
Summary: Elijah Wood has done it again...
Review: The Movie Oliver Twist has been given a great new cast of actors. Elijah Wood playing the "Artful Dodger" has outdone himself once more. The story is based on a courageouse young boy named Oliver Twist, as he battles to find the family that he lost, but still dreamed of. About the friendship between Dodger and Oliver, and their adventures and discoverys. As the plot thickens you are taken through a thriller you won't forget! A courageous young boy, an artful thief, a legendary murderer, and a cast of characters that give the movie star quality. This movie is one that Charles Dickens himself would be proud of. A movie all can enjoy and I highly recommend it to any Elijah Wood fan or if you just want to have a good time. This is the movie for you. The put downs I have seen on this movie are a little crazy I think. If it is thought that things were made up to the point of ruining it then some have obviously never read the book.
Rating:
Summary: Not a Good Version!
Review: There have been many movie adaptations of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and this movie was on TV one day and though it had a great cast that includes Richard Dreyfuss and Elijah Wood who are both actors that I admire I just didn't like the movie and thought that compared to other movie adaptations of Oliver Twist that this version was just not very good and was kind of too corny!
Rating:
Summary: Oliver Twist
Review: This is a dreadful sanitized interpretation of Dickens' Oliver Twist. The whole cast is American and have the most laughably awful English accents - to the point where it is distracting. Richard Dreyfuss and Elijah Woods accent slip every other word. Oliver is supposed to be a fragile, deeply saddened little boy (the book will make you cry for me) but the 'actor' who plays him comes across as a happy-go-lucky kid who is always seen smiling. He has no facial expression and can't project a single emotion. Fagan, who is played by Dreyfuss,is supposed to be a heartless, shady, and crafy character but instead comes across like Santa Clauss. I keep expecting him to burst into song. The only way you can tell the character is angry is when you get the Jaws-type disonnant music - without it, you wouldn't even know. Not only is the acting bad, but the story is changed dramatically - some characters that are pertinent to the story are cut out completely. If you have or have not read Dickens (you really ought to read it) it is a sad, disturbing and heart renching tale of a little boys horrendous life. This grittiness is NOT at all evident in this interpretation. If you want a smaltsy movie, go rent a Disney flick like Lion King or something, coz Oliver Twist is NOT suposed to be like that.
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