Rating: 
Summary: Elijah Wood Steals This Film
Review: As others have said, if you want a quality retelling of Dickens' "Oliver Twist," then turn to David Lean or the glorious musical version, and not this bland re-hash with possibly the weakest Oliver (not to mention writing and direction) that I have ever seen for this story. There are only two characters that partially redeem it: an earthy, maternal Nancy and an Artful Dodger that, as portrayed by Elijah Woods, may not be what Dickens had in mind, but certainly becomes someone you care about and want to save - much more so than the annoying Oliver, who has two facial expressions (wide-eyed and not wide-eyed), a shrill voice, and an unhealthy obsession with his mother's locket, which stalls the plot at the most unlikely moments. The double irony is that this rather stupid, greedy child (who discovers a conscience quite late) is rescued from the streets to enjoy a life of ease and comfort, while the infinitely more promising Artful Dodger (whose tender response to Oliver's bout of conscience is the most moving two minutes in the film) is carted off to jail - a quip from him being enough to stop this Oliver making any move to save him! It's enough to make you want the REAL film buried here - the one about Woods' Artful Dodger, caught between confused loyalties, sensitive and intelligent in a world merciless to both, protective of both Nancy and Oliver but powerless to help either, trying desperately to seem more callous than he is and to pretend to himself that he has chosen this life.... It's his tragedy that is almost buried in this dull film, but it's hard not to be grateful it was made, if only for those scenes lit from within by Woods' amazing talent.
Rating:
Summary: Elijah Wood Steals This Film
Review: As others have said, if you want a quality retelling of Dickens' "Oliver Twist," then turn to David Lean or the glorious musical version, and not this bland re-hash with possibly the weakest Oliver (not to mention writing and direction) that I have ever seen for this story. There are only two characters that partially redeem it: an earthy, maternal Nancy and an Artful Dodger that, as portrayed by Elijah Woods, may not be what Dickens had in mind, but certainly becomes someone you care about and want to save - much more so than the annoying Oliver, who has two facial expressions (wide-eyed and not wide-eyed), a shrill voice, and an unhealthy obsession with his mother's locket, which stalls the plot at the most unlikely moments. The double irony is that this rather stupid, greedy child (who discovers a conscience quite late) is rescued from the streets to enjoy a life of ease and comfort, while the infinitely more promising Artful Dodger (whose tender response to Oliver's bout of conscience is the most moving two minutes in the film) is carted off to jail - a quip from him being enough to stop this Oliver making any move to save him! It's enough to make you want the REAL film buried here - the one about Woods' Artful Dodger, caught between confused loyalties, sensitive and intelligent in a world merciless to both, protective of both Nancy and Oliver but powerless to help either, trying desperately to seem more callous than he is and to pretend to himself that he has chosen this life.... It's his tragedy that is almost buried in this dull film, but it's hard not to be grateful it was made, if only for those scenes lit from within by Woods' amazing talent.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Than the Book!
Review: As the title says, this movie is better than the book. Disney gives this story a delightful "twist". Elijah Woods is the perfect actor for the Artful Dodger. I like Dodger's character a lot more in this video than other Oliver Twist videos I have seen. Richard Dreyfuss was outstanding as Fagin. I recommend this video to any Elijah Woods fan or if you just like the story of Oliver Twist.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't watch this before a test!
Review: As usual, Disney has just twisted the plot and characters to fit its own view of the world. The plot is lost in the cuteness that only Disney can create, and the characters become shallow and simple. I suggest the PBS version, or an older one. Even Oliver! is more true to Dickens than this. Shame on Disney!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Movie
Review: Children nine to twelve are not the only ones who will like this movie, but some teenagers and college students will like it too. The reason some will like it is because it shows how bad the workhouse kids had it during Victoria England. Also it shows what life was like for homeless teenagers by using the Artful Doger, and Nancy. The actors and actresses did a good job in their parts. I must confess that Elijah Wood has done a good job playing the Artful Doger.
Rating: 
Summary: Eisner's Twist: Dismal Disney
Review: Diseny under Michael Eisner has an agenda; that agenda is exhibited in this falsified version of Charles Dickens' second novel, Oliver Twist. There is no question that Dickens intended to protray Fagin as a miscreant of nearly supernatural villainy. This Eisner-Disney version has re-written Dickens in order to protray Fagin as a basically benevolent character, with Bill Sykes transformed into the principal evil-doer.Unfortunately this mess of a movie will attract a great deal of attention due to the presence of actor Elijah Wood. But viewers seeking a film faithful to Dickens' original should access the lengthy 1985 BBC production distributed by CBS/Fox on video, or the David Lean classic on DVD. Once again, the venerable Disney name is being misused to market an Eisner counterfeit which censors a classic work for purposes of aligning it with Eisner's twisted sense of political correctness. It should be renamed Eisner Twist.
Rating:
Summary: Elijah Wood's British Accent is Horrible.
Review: First of all, I don't understand this widow Corney having a locket belonging to Oliver (a locket than can lead him to his family), telling him about it and not doing anything to find them. In the book, there is also a locket which is an evidence of Oliver's identity, but Oliver doesn't know anything about it till the end of the story.
So we have this Oliver travelling to London, but he looks a happy boy. The true Oliver is sad.
But I find this Oliver able to move around almost free, while he is suposed to be a menace to Fagin's gang. and at the end he can make Fagin give him his locket, telling him he would peach. I think that even the most evil characters are comical.
A film to spend your time, but as the topic says: "The book is better".
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed but enjoyable
Review: I have never liked Charles Dickens, and after being forced to read Oliver Twist, I blotted out most of the contents from my mind. So, when watching this movie, I watched it for its own worth and not for comparisons with the book (I did the same thing with Liam Neeson's excellent "Les Miserables") This is the story of Oliver Twist, an illegitimate baby born to a mystery woman who dies, leaving her child only a locket with a picture of a woman. Twelve years later, Oliver is tossed out for asking for "some more" food. He makes his way to London in the attempt to find his family, and is quickly taken under the wing of the Artful Dodger, the teenage ringleader of a band of young thieves and pickpockets, who is overseen by the elderly, avaricious Fagin. At first, Oliver rejoices in his newfound freedom. But when he is taken in by a kindly old Mr. Brownlow and his beautiful niece, he finds that the sinister Bill Sikes is targeting Fagin, him, and the Brownlows. Richard Dreyfuss is spotty as Fagin; at times he's almost cartoonish, but at others he's quite believable. I enjoyed the scene where he teaches Oliver how to pick a pocket. Bill Sikes is the same -- sometimes he's hideously sinister, sometimes he's just amusing. Nancy is pretty convincing as a scared but kindly woman under emotional abuse and consistent pressure from her murderous husband, and the Brownlows are good for what time they have, which is not much. Elijah Wood is the really outstanding performance, managing to make the Artful Dodger a thoroughly delightful character. He's charismatic and charming, without scruples (except about "peaching" and betrayal), alternately solemn and playful, claiming that "you can't trust nobody" while trying to be loyal to Oliver and Nancy. He is especially emphasized in some priceless scenes, including his expression when he finds Nancy, when Sikes escapes, and when Oliver is caught. (He also manages to pull off lines like "... tryin' to make a dishonest living for meself.") The sole problem with his performance is his accent, which slips and slides all over the place. Every now and then, he becomes downright incomprehensible, especially when you can't guess what the topic of conversation is. Unfortunately, even Wood can't compensate for the performance of his younger costar, Alex Trench. The boy playing Oliver may very well be one of the worst child actors I have ever seen. Acting is significantly more than blinking owlishly and occasionally yelling in a very shrill voice. All his other lines are delivered in a soprano monotone that you can listen to for all of five minutes without gritting your teeth. He is, admittedly, very cute looking, but this isn't enough in such a role. Also, we are repeatedly told that Oliver is twelve years old; that kid can't be more than seven or eight at the most. (Who knew that industrial workhouses were full of such cute, bland little children?) The overall plotline is greatly simplified, presumably to make it understandable to those who haven't yet read the book. Basic A to B to C to B to C and A again, without too many locations that could confuse the kiddies. More disturbing elements are toned down or omitted completely, as part of the Disneyfication process. Somehow it didn't annoy me as much as it usually did. A nice little movie to pass the time; I advise that you enter with no expectations.
Rating:
Summary: Not much like the book, but a good family movie
Review: I have seen two other versions of Oliver Twist, the excellent BBC version, and the rather weak musical "Oliver!". The BBC version is the closest to the book, so if you are a fan of it, watch that one. "Oliver!", in my opinion, really did not get across the message of the book, nor the tragedy of the characters' lives either. If you can't stand a change from Dickens' classic, don't watch this movie. But if you are open-minded, a fan of Disney or Elijah Wood, you'll like this movie. It has all the basic outlines of the Oliver Twist story, Oliver asking for more, going to London and meeting up with Fagin, Nancy's death at the hands of Bill Sikes, et cetera. But the details are changed a great deal, for instance, Dodger's and Rose's parts are both enlarged, which I like. I read the book around the same time I saw this movie and I noticed two parts in the movie that are in the book and did not make it into the other versions.
(1) The little boy at the workhouse who says "God bless you!" to Oliver.
(2) The means of Bill Sikes's death: that is, slipping and catching his neck in the rope. BBC has him actually fall off the roof, while Oliver! has him shot by police(boring!).
Elijah Wood is absolutely wonderful in this. I know his accent was not very accurate but his acting is perfect (as always). If you are a fan of his, you HAVE to watch this movie. Elijah Wood's version of this character is very different from BBC's evil-minded follower of Fagin, Oliver!'s ridiculous clown, or the book's sneering Artful. Here is a Dodger who really comes alive, who you can sympathize with, who breaks your heart when he's taken off to jail. I agree with "a viewer" that it is Elijah Wood as Dodger and Antoine Byrne as Nancy who really save this film. Antoine Byrne's performance is touching, and really shows the tragedy of what Nancy's life was. If it were not for these two, this movie would not be worth watching. I've read the reviews, and I know some people love this movie, while others are furious that they dared tamper with the storyline. Keep an open mind, and give this a try!
Rating:
Summary: Oliver Twist
Review: I recently saw this movie on TV at a friend's house and I absolutely adored it. Elijah Wood is my favorite actor, but even before I saw him appear on the screen, I was telling my friend how good of a movie I thought it was. I liked how Elijah portrayed Dodger. Also, I dont know who the actor is, but the boy who played Oliver was a very good young actor. I enjoyed this movie very much, and I only wish I could get it for my birthday next month, but my mother says that she can't find it anywhere :(
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