Here’s the problem with Alice in Wonderland: if a director other than Tim Burton did this movie, I probably would have liked it a lot better than I did. As it is, watching this movie makes me feel like the great and visionary Tim Burton has somehow become an average, Tim Burton wannabe. Everything about this movie felt derivative, like a pale imitation of a Burton movie or like he was phoning it in. All of the Burton visual tricks are here including a dark, Gothic backdrop, punctuated trippy set pieces, and the Tim Burton cast including his wife Helena Bonham Carter and favorite star Johnny Depp are on hand. The only thing missing is another boring film score from Danny Elfman – oh wait… Have I said recently how much I loathe Danny Elfman scores? It’s been the same score in every movie since Batman.
The story picks up 13 years after the events in the original Alice in Wonderland. Alice has forgotten everything that happened to her in Wonderland, now only remembering bits and pieces in her nightmares. Alice feels a bit trapped by her life of wealth and privilege – the poor thing and desperately wants to break free. Screenwriter …. does a great job of blending the original Alice and Wonderland plot with his new “sequel” material. As someone who has never read the original material (although I have been reading through it in the last week), this movie should be accessible for people who know nothing about Alice in Wonderland, while leaving just enough to please fans of the original.
Helena is perfect as the Red Queen, she’s funny, mean, self loathing all at the right times. She almost saves this film from becoming a crushing bore. If you like the Mad Hatter, then you can’t complain too much about Johnny’s portrayal, the problem is I felt like I’ve seen this character before and what passed for wit, was just silly and unnecessary, fortunately he wasn’t in the movie enough to have an impact on it one way or the other. I love Anne Hathaway, she is making a bunch of really interesting career choices. Her performance is wonderfully off putting. I loved Mia Wasikowska as Alice. She brought a good sense of innocence to the part, but she never conveyed any sense of wonder to her situation – even if she did spend most of the movie thinking she was dreaming. It was like, “oh, here’s this weird grinning, talking cat.”
The sets themselves looked like the typical Burton backgrounds, lifeless and artificial. I saw this in 3D and I wish I hadn’t. Some movies should be in 3D but this isn’t one. The 3D in this looked like it was added on after the film was shot, none of it felt natural and there were some scenes that looked washed out.
I sat there thinking to myself, the movie just feels wrong. I liked all the individual pieces of this movie, but it never quite worked as a whole. It felt like I had seen all of this ten years ago in better films like Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Sleepy Hallow, Nightmare Before Christmas, etc. In many ways this is the movie Burton was born to make. I just wish he made it 10 films ago.
Final Grade C
EM Review by
Michelle Alexandria
Originally posted 3.07.2010
the 3d sucked hardcore. This movie had its moments, but felt short of a cohesive story that deserves a movie. It felt jumbled, shortened and rushed.
I completele agree with you that Burton was born to make this film, but that he should have done it long ago. For me it feels like Burton helped Disney in bringing the visuals but the story was too DISNEY… like if disney had control of the story ..
I thought this movie was quite stunning. It felt right all the way through. The 3D was spot on. Sure it had Burton's handiwork throughout, it was a Tim Burton film for gosh sakes.
I thought Tim Burton cheated the system but creating the movie in 2D and transferring it to 3D. The movie should have been originally shot in 3D or kept at 2D. It'll be interesting to see what other Alice in Wonderland movies come from this in the future. I heard the trilogy The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is supposed to be created into a film around 2012, which will have to be shot in 3D to be comparable to this movie.
I hated Alice in 3D, Not the screen play, not the characters, just the 3D. I knew when I saw Avatar that it was a Master Piece, I love Avatar and it's only because of the visual effects, the story is a green pocahontas, the performances are average. But I compare Avatar with Leonardo Da Vinci's the last Supper or Michel Angelo's David; a hackneyed subject turned to Art (with capital A) by an artist. My point is that we have seen Art in 3D (Avatar), we have seen good jobs in 3D (Ice Age 3), and now I have seen a movie turn to 3D just to make money. Not avery movie has to be in 3D, not everyone can do it. Go see Alice in IMAX.
The reviewer obviously never saw this movie. The 3D was completely awesome at the IMAX theater I viewed it at. Time for this reviewer to find another career.