Alice in Wonderland

Alice In Wonderland

Starring:  Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway
Fantasy, 2010 (Rated PG)
Nineteen year old Alice has a huge imagination.  So huge in fact that she is the only one who notices the rabbit in the waist coat running across the lawn.  After running away from an unwanted marriage proposal she follows this rabbit and finds herself falling down a rabbit hole and into another land.  Here she must figure out a way to help the characters in this world restore the white queen to power and oust the evil Red Queen who rules the land with decapitation for anyone who does not agree with her.

• I really wasn't all that interested in watching this but hubby wanted to so I went along with the program. 
• I found that it was an OK movie.  This is coming from someone not really so into animated fantasy type movies.
• The graphics are excellent and Depp does a great job as the quirky mad hatter.
• I am not all too familiar with the original story having never taken a huge interest in it so I can't say much regarding the adaptation of the original but the movie itself was entertaining for the most part.

4/5 STARS

Just Me

Alice In Wonderland

Whatever you may think of Tim Burton's quirky gothic style, there's no mistaking his movies for the work of anyone else.

Alice In Wonderland is no exception, turning Lewis Carroll's classic novel on its head and injection it with several shots of black humor. Those of you who were expecting a straightforward adaptation of the source material will be sorely disappointed, as Burton rewrites Carroll's hallucinatory masterpiece with some unexpected twists and more than a little warped glee.

For the rest of us, though, Alice In Wonderland is both an impressive feat of moviemaking and a wonderfully effervescent surprise. It's little wonder that it rapidly became the highest-grossing movie of 2010, and the 5th highest-grossing of all time. Must-see events don't come much more exciting than a head-to-head between Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll.

Purists will immediately take issue with the storyline, which twists the original so far that it almost breaks. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now 19 years old, and despite having odd recurring dreams and a face that's as pasty as white bread she's destined to be married off to the wheedling Hamish Ascot - so it's no great surprise when Alice immediately runs off and vanishes down a rabbit hole.

Once Alice reaches Underland, however (her previous incarnation apparently misheard the name on her first visit), all is not as you'd expect. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) controls the nation, while the good creatures of Underland live in fear and poverty. Clearly Burton has an unspoken desire to direct The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

Alice is expected to save them all by slaying the Jabberwocky, but she has no memory of visiting Underland before, and no inclination to be a hero. It's only when she meets Johnny Depp's scatty Mad Hatter that the pieces finally start to fall in place, and Alice's destiny reveals itself.

It's easy to pick holes in Alice In Wonderland's largely derivative plot, but, as always with Tim Burton's films, the pleasure is in the details. Helena Bonham Carter is hilarious camping it up as the big-headed queen, while Crispin Glover gives a gloriously weird performance as her right hand man, the Knave of Hearts. The voice talents of Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen and Carry On's Barbara Windsor also lend a touch of class to the animated half of the cast.

Of course, no review of a Tim Burton movie would be complete without a mention of the visuals, and they're just as striking as you'd expect - in fact, you'll probably want to avoid the unnecessary distractions of 3D and revel fully in its colorful pleasures. It's easy to knock the flimsy story, but when a movie's this vibrant and inventive it's only fair to allow it a little extra leeway.

Oh, and those of you who think that Anne Hathaway's White Queen looks eerily familiar may have a point. Apparently Burton based her appearance on British TV chef Nigella Lawson - which may explain her extravagant kitchen too. I'm not sure I'd trust her baking, though.

4/5

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Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I am a fan of Tim Burton and I am a fan of Johnny Depp. I like Carroll's surrealistic world of Alice; the idea, the book, the cartoon version, Svankmajer's version and other versions and other derivations of that particular fantastical world. I am not a huge fan of Danny Elfman, but I recognize his talent. I am not a huge fan of 3D movies but I usually enjoy them. So what in the world happened with Burton's version? It is probably one of Burton's worst movies and Depp's least attractive roles. Even the soundtrack is outdated and it seems like it is targeted for 13 year-olds emo kids. Plus, the epic music score is extremely exhausting and does not compliment the imagery and the mood throughout the movie.

Of course, the story is adapted to the modern teenage world. Alice is older and is going through a difficult time adapting to her family and society. She is a rebel, but she has no character. She is not good enough to lead that world in which she is put in. Unlike other versions of Alice, she is not as curious, she is just desperate, she is not innocent and naive, and therefore the fantasy world in which she is put is not as attractive as it used to be. Linda Woolverton, (screenplay for The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast) changed the essence of the story. It tries too hard to be contemporary and it may be, but only to a small niche of people. I found it hard to relate to any character, and I found it hard to like any of the characters. Even though some were incredibly designed, their aesthetic attributes were buried under their badly though-out personalities.

I have to recognize the complexity of the film, and how difficult it must be to direct it. I also think there are some very attractive visuals, although not completely stimulating. The 3D experience was not a plus. I remember being in the theatre and trying to find excuses to like the film, but I quit doing that as the movie got closer to the end. The ending, well, it is one of the most disappointing endings I have ever seen. Action chess? It is just terrible and left a bitter aftertaste, especially after all that wait because of the marketing. I enjoyed the trailers more than the actual movie. I look still forward for Burton's next work, I wish it is more personal.

bobclapes from illuminatemyeyes.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-06-15 03:49:44 by bobclapes

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland - Directed by Tim Burton, starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter - Rated PG

The Kurgan digs the Mad Hatter...he just wishes he was a little evil.



Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s latest collaboration, is equal parts strange and goofy. This is not a bad thing, I was just hoping for something a bit darker. The film is still enjoyable and it certainly held my interest.

This version of the classic story by Lewis Carroll is really a combination/reimagining of both “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” So you get the usual cast of characters (the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, the White Queen, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat), but with a more traditional, linear plot. I am not a Lewis Carroll scholar or anything, but the books, from the skimming I did, came across as more of a random series of crazy events. To be honest, I was happy to see a linear plot added. I suppose a purist might have problems, though.

The linear story I mentioned above starts off simply enough. Young Alice has just awoken from a nightmare involving the above cast of characters. Her father let’s her know that even if she is a little crazy, it’s okay (lesson to all little girls: it’s okay to be yourself). Cut to eleven years later, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now a young lady, expected to marry a lord and lead a very boring life. Instead, she chases after the White Rabbit and falls down the rabbit hole. And this is, of course, where the story picks up a bit. Alice quickly learns that she is foretold to be a great champion who will slay the Jabberwocky with the vorpal sword and help bring peace back to Wonderland. She and the inhabitants of Wonderland, however, are not sure if she’s the right Alice for the job.

I’ve summarized the story enough. Suffice it to say that all of the expected encounters have a point behind them and they all lead up to the showdown between the Red Queen and the White Queen. I enjoyed the story of the film, especially since it gave the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) a back story and a purpose. Still, though, do not expect this to be a Mad Hatter movie just because Depp’s face is plastered all over the marketing. The Hatter is still a side character, though Depp’s scenes were the most enjoyable in the film. You really can’t go wrong when Depp is given free rein to crazy up the screen.Depp is great and he is backed up by some other fun performances, both live action and voice. Helena Bonham Carter and Crispin Glover (as the Red Queen and Stayne, Knave of Hearts, respectively) work very well together. Carter handles the famous “Off with their heads!” outbursts quite well and Glover is a creepy guy no matter what he does so his presence alone made his character work. Among the voice actors, I enjoyed Alan Rickman as the hookah-smoking Caterpillar and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat the most. They both seemed to embody each character perfectly.

Since there are voice actors, that obviously means that a good portion of this film is done with computer animated effects, and they are quite well done. The world created for the screen looks great. I found myself just looking around the screen picking up the little details here and there (of course it was easy to pick up the smaller elements since I was watching it in IMAX). Wonderland might not be Pandora or anything, but it is still interesting enough to keep your eyes busy throughout the film.Inevitably, Alice in Wonderland is going to be compared to Avatar since this is the first IMAX/3D release since that blockbuster came out. First off, the 3D is not as impressive as it was with Avatar. This may be because Alice wasn’t shot in 3D; it was converted to 3D later. This is becoming a common practice since Avatar started breaking records and I’m not sure I like it. Don’t get me wrong, the 3D is still impressive at times and it helps you feel like you’re in Wonderland along with Alice. I just wish they would’ve have actually filmed it with 3D cameras instead of converting it later.

Alice in Wonderland still looks good, it just could have looked so much better. I enjoyed the story more than the visuals, if for no other reason than it was quite different than I expected it to be. It may have been a bit goofier than I would have liked (the Mad Hatter’s little dance at the end was quite stupid), but it has some great moments as well (Alice’s showdown with the Jabberwocky was my favorite). The film makes for a decent family film. I don’t think it’s going to go down as a beloved classic or anything, but I certainly think Alice in Wonderland is worth checking out.

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Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Alice in Wonderland un film de Tim Burton

From  my tender childhood Disney's Alice in  Wonderland was one of my favorite cartoon for its humor (those  who know me know how I like things twisted especially in my humor!) its  story and the wonderful and uncommon colors of the "original" film. When  I first read that Tim Burton was going to do it in film I thought no  other director could bring his own vision to Lewis Carroll's oeuvre  better than the king of the weird eerie Hollywood gothic films so  popular has; Edward Swissorhand,  Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, etc. Well, now after  seing it I don't know if I liked it enough to say it was good, sure it  isn't bad but that doesn't make it good for that...

Burton's film  is not a remake of the 1951 animated version but the non-official  sequel to it, I think it was a good idea to do it that way... It's  Alice's return in Wonderland 13 years later and she has to be true to  herself to conquer the Wonderland (her mind) and to conquer the lead of  her own life.

The sets, the costumes, the choice of actors and  the story feels right and I don't think that is the problem. It's  probably Tim Burton that went with a too safe approach to make it darker  or weirder or more Burtonesque... There's a little something that feels  unsatisfying about Alice. The British weird sense of humor that  coloured Carroll's œuvre and the 1951 especially in the tea party.

On  another topic, the 3D version I had the chance to see at a IMAX theater  here in Quebec City feels sloppy and sometimes unfocused. I don't know  if it's gonna be like that for future 3D releases but I'm not a 100%  charmed by the thing. Well, I'm not a 3D animation lover anyway, but I  thought that technology corrected the sloppiness of 3D images. I may  sound a purist when I write that but except the fact the studios want to  get people out of their homes to go see the films in theaters, 3D  didn't brought anything better to films so far.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is worth the  look but I must recommand Disney's 1951 version before watching the  unofficial sequel of 2010 just to compare the two stories and the  different approaches on their subject.

http://cinephiliaque.blogspot.com/2010/03/alice-in-wonderland-un-film-de-tim.html

Recommendations: Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie, Duel

Alice in Wonderland: 2010

This is the story of an older Alice who returns to Wonderland long after her trip as a young girl, and mixes with the book “Alice and Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” Directed by Tim Burton it is an artsy and rather dark tale compared to the whimsical story by Lewis Carol. Some people loved it, some people hated it. It depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for an eye opening film that goes skin deep, you probably won’t find it here; but if you’re looking for great entertainment with laughs, epic 3D, and great characters, Alice and Wonderland is definitely for you. As I came out of the theater I felt very content. No life change, but it was a very enjoyable movie. Beautiful score by Danny Elfman, and Johnny Depp and the rest of the cast were all great.
So entertainment wise, you will really enjoy the ride.

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Recommendations: The Blind Side , Batman Begins

Hannah E.

Alice in Wonderland... Tim Burton's Good list or Bad list?

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I have to be honest with you. I waited a long time to see this movie because I was very very skeptical. When the screen shots were first released a million years ago I was pretty excited. From what I could tell all of the design elements were really clicking, and everything looked super interesting. But then I remembered Sweeney Todd. The screenshots of that movie also looked awesome. But I did not enjoy the film at all. Also adding to my skepticism was Tim Burton's take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Big disappointment in my book. Anywho, what I'm saying is that I was very worried that I would not like this movie one bit... I went and saw it anyway.  Honestly, it was quite good. As I expected visually it was stunning. I'm not sure if Tim Burton is a great director, but as far as I'm concerned he's one of the best designers in the business. The 3D element was not abused and I didn't feel like it took over the story, but simply added to it.  The greatest success for this film, in my opinion, is the casting. I, for one, can't blame Tim Burton for casting the same people over and over again ie Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, etc... if they consistently do a good job.  Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter had this great duality to him which was wonderful to watch. I loved the Scottish war hero that popped out now and then, even if there were some Jack Sparrow traces mixed in their somewhere. Alan Rickman was perfect for the Blue Caterpillar, and Matt Lucas was, well, adorable as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Of course Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall were great, respectively, as well. My favorite character, though, was Stephen Fry as the Chesire Cat. I don't know what it was, but something about him was extremely like-able. In a freaky, not quite sure if I should trust you kind of way... If I'm honest I wasn't really bothered by Mia Wosikowska as Alice, but I also wasn't extremely impressed. Her choices seemed obvious and safe. I was never taken out of the story by her... I just think she could've gone further is all. The only casting choice I didn't agree with was that of Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Not that I don't like her as an actress because I do. I can't even pin down what it was that I didn't like about her in this role. There was just something that I didn't like about her in this role.  The biggest failure for this film is the script.
  Right from the beginning we know how it's going to end. We know she's the real Alice, we know she's gonna kill the Jabberwocky, and there are no great surprises along the way. Even the obstacles Alice had to overcome seemed conveniently easy to surpass. Particularly the whole get the magic sword mission. "Here's your eye back big creepy thing, thanks for the key."  The one nugget of unexpectedness that I liked was the little romantic sub-plot between Alice and the Mad Hatter. That was fun for me.  Other than that, the dialogue is fine, it's just the arch of the story that is unoriginal and predictable.  To wrap it up. Beautiful visually. Great casting, and acting. Lacking in the script area.  I give it a 7 1/2 out of 10.

-TravLCox_
www.lifeisthatrandom.blogspot.com 
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Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), The Matrix , (500) Days Of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

Two Thirds of Alice is Worth The Price of Admission

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have teamed up again.  This marks the eighth time the two have worked together as of 2010.  The world of Wonderland, now called Underworld, is the site.  Alice In Wonderland is a visual onslaught that gives no respite.
  Phew, I’m glad I’m done with that.  I’m no more of a poet than Shia LaBeouf is an action star. 
  In Tim Burton’s world Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is all grown up and ready for marriage, at least that’s what her mother would like to hear.  She’s been arranged to wed a hook nosed little snot of a boy named Lord Ascot.  Alice is conflicted between marrying for survival and abstaining for happiness.  When Ascot proposes to her in front of a mob of hoity toities she opts to follow a rabbit with a wound watch down the rabbit hole.   Now that’s the Alice we know
When she arrives in Underworld she discovers a band of strange characters who aren’t convinced she’s the “real” Alice.  This is important to them because if she is than she is destined to defeat a beast known as the Jabberwocky (every time I heard this I thought of the Jabawakies) on frabjous day.  The Jabberwocky is a pet of the Red Queen, Helena Bonham Carter, who has a fetish for chopping off heads.  Alice must retrieve a mythical sword in the hold of the Red Queen so that she may down the beast and save the day.
   The first two acts of Alice In Wonderland are as big of a visual adventure as any other.  Tim Burton does a great job of bending your mind without alienating.  Each character is unique in their own ways, some you’ll love and some you’ll hate, but all entertaining.  My theory is that most of the characters are representations of people in Alice’s real life.  Check that out, a lot of them fit.  If there was a ringleader Depp would be it as the Mad Hatter.  If I hadn’t seen him play this near exact role about five times I might have appreciated it more.  He truly immerses himself in these characters and makes them his own.  However what’s the difference between the Mad Hatter and Captain Jack besides a bottle of rum and some soot?
The third act is where the wonderment ends.  There’s more than an 800 pound Jabberwocky lurking in the corner of the room.  You know as the epic battle is being set up that, well, there’s going to be an epic battle.  The problem is that it’s in complete contrast with the rest of the film.  This marriage of The Wizard of Oz with The Lord of the Rings leads to major identity crisis.  Whatever the film built up in the first two parts of the movie was torn down at the end.
  Parts one and two are definitely worth admission just be ready for an end that doesn’t fit. 

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Recommendations: Shutter Island, District 9 (Neill Blomkamp, 2009), Morning Glory

Review: Alice in Wonderland

108 mins
Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar

Director Tim Burton is known for offbeat and visually striking movies. Alice in Wonderland is no exception. Even with off-the-wall lines, stunning visuals, and a few interesting character and plot functions, Burton delivers a sadly mediocre adventure for Alice. A meandering plot,  gimmicky 3D, and sometimes alienating and outlandish aspects of Tim Burton's imagination fall short of a wonderful Wonderland.

Tim Burton's incarnation of Alice in Wonderland goes like this:  Alice, who has had frequent dreams of a strange land, is brought to a party by her mother in hopes of becoming engaged to Hamish Ascot. After she sees a white rabbit, Alice requests time to think on her marriage decision and ends up in Underland (that is not a typo) via a nasty rabbit hole. While Alice's goal is to get home, the creatures of Underland have hopes that she will slay the Jabberwockey, and thus, free them from the rule of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). All of this is preceded by the first major scene, the engagement party for Alice.  Burton brilliantly condenses nearly the entire story into a few minutes, and provides a good set of themes for him to build upon for the rest of the film. However, after that, the story wanders for the first Act and a half before finally reaching a surprisingly cliche resolution. Alice in Wonderland suffers from a story that is, coming from Tim Burton (of all people!), ironically dull and generic.

Alice in Wonderland's visuals are often eye candy but at times too bizarre to be taken seriously. Tim Burton filmed Underland with green screens and the result is an effectively creepy, vibrant and sometimes borderline photo realistic world. Although, the manifestations of what's inside Tim Burton's head (and the resulting trademark visual style) can also be flat out absurd. I find it hard to concentrate on saving the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) when the Knave of Hearts has out of proportion limbs. The worst incarnation of oddity is the Mad Hatter's dance routine after the climax. It nearly destroys any enjoyment of the previous battle scene. A similar issue comes along with the intended laughs in Alice in Wonderland. Don't get me wrong, there were a few mildly funny jokes made by the Mad Hatter or any other nut in Underland, but many fall flat because of how strange the humor is. I only find the fact that the Red Queen enjoys putting her tired feet on a warm pig belly weird.

Last updated: 2010-04-11 12:15:21 by user01

FILM REVIEW :Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I had been anticipating Tim Burton's retelling of Alice in Wonderland for quite some time. However, that anticipation came to a halt several weeks ago when I heard heavily mixed reception to the film. Upon seeing it, I could easily determine that this mixed bag could have been much, much better.

The Lovely Bones, this is a really difficult film to review. I don't love it like I would have wanted to, but I don't hate it like so many others. In a similar fashion to the aforementioned film, I am truly mixed on my opinions of this film.

Let's start with the good. Everything looks amazing. The dark settings and the heavily Gothic styles of clothing really help set an atmosphere for Alice in Wonderland. Burton Muse Number One Helena Bonham Carter is hilarious as the Red Queen. She steals all of her scenes, successfully fulfilling a role that could have easily been a disaster. Anne Hathaway captures the essence of a Disney Princess as the White Queen and truly made me forget how awkwardly written this role was. The voice acting of Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall was truly terrific. The designs for the characters they portrayed - the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, and Bayhard, respectively - were also superb. Even though she doesn't really have much to do, Mia Wasikowska exemplifies the curiosity and confusion of the young adult Alice. I expect to see great things from her in the future. Lastly, Burton Muse Number Two Johnny Depp does a commendable but not fantastic job as the Mad Hatter.

Now for the problems. Unlike Tim Burton's previous material, I just didn't find myself fully enthralled in the story. This is quite odd because Burton can easily immerse the audience of a film into the story.

I really don't blame this problem of disinterest on Burton: I blame it on the screenplay penned by Linda Woolverton. I find it very fascinating that the screenwriter of Disney's 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, which I hold in high regard as one of the best films ever made, penned this uneven and awkwardly written film. The newly constructed storyline used for this film was a bit difficult for me to get into. I doubt that a re-imagining of the original storyline would have been as hard for me to be enticed by. In addition, the film's pacing seemed a bit off. Parts of the film moved too fast, and certain scenes moved at a snail's pace.

For me Alice in Wonderland is a mixed bag at best. It's seemed to be a "love it or hate it" film for most, but I'm on the fence.

No comments on recommendation

Rating: 5.5 out of 10 stars

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Julian Stark (pen name)<br />
<br />
Founder/Editor: Movies and Other Things<br />
<br />
http://julianstark-moviesandotherthings.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-04-09 08:59:35 by user07

Reel Short Review: Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has been hyped for months, and I’ve been patiently waiting to see it.

From the teasing trailers to the artfully crafted movie posters, it seemed this was going to be the blockbuster event of the year (sorry to all of you Twilight saga fans).

If you’ve seen anything from Tim Burton, you know what you’re getting into. His films are usually over the top, filled with fantasy, and often contain dark tones, but are always entertaining.

To say that Alice in Wonderland measured up to Burton’s reputation as a filmmaker thus far would be a stretch. Tim Burton is better than Alice in Wonderland.

The movie wasn’t a total waste of a sunny Saturday afternoon. The cinematography was beautiful, filled with vivid colors, amazing costumes, and sets that take you to another world.

The characters were also well thought out and thoroughly developed, and the viewer got a glimpse into what motivated their actions. Also, writer Linda Woolverton created dialogue that was creative, witty, and believable within the storyline.

The plot, however, lacked overall cohesiveness. Though Woolverton’s screenplay was clearly a combination of both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass (books written by Lewis Carroll) it wasn’t clear what genre director-producer Burton was going for.

Was this a dramatic tale meant to ask questions of its audience and evoke a certain emotion? Or, was it meant to be a large budget action film filled with intense scenes that brought the characters to one specific plot point?

Whatever Burton was aiming for in this remake of the children’s classic, he didn’t quite hit his mark.  Though Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen) delivered superb performances (as per usual), and even the actress playing Alice (Mia Wasikowska) was enjoyable to watch, the film as a whole didn’t quite live up to its expectations

Recommendations: Wizard of Oz

Watching on Wednesday: Alice in Wonderland

Title: Alice in Wonderland
Type: Movie
Age Group: Youth +
Release Year: 2010
My Rating: 3.5/5

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is back and is being proposed to at nineteen years. Living in a proper society where it is important to do everything with manner, Alice is sick and tired of being told what to do everyday.

After seeing a rabbit in a waistcoat, she ditches her engagement party to follow it. Thus, it leads her down into a hole where she lands in Underland. She encounters the eccentric characters of Underland that proclaims how she must slay the Jabberwocky. She refuses this so called fate of hers but only to find out that she is chased after by the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her army because of it.

In this dark and imaginary realm, Alice must find a way to survive before it is off with her head!

I debated if I should have given this movie a 3.5 or a 4 rating. I have read a couple of negative reviews before watching Alice in Wonderland (which I was so excited for when I first saw the trailer) that it made me went in with a less open mind.  (Note: I am reviewing the 2D version).

What one can not deny is the amazing graphics that Tim Burton has for his whimsical and hauntingly beautiful world. A lot of hard work and dedication can be seen put into this production to create Alice in Wonderland as it is. The number one thing I adore is the clothes that Alice gets to wear. They are absolutely gorgeous! (Except for the armor she had on at the end. It was just weird to see her in that).

However, I didn't find myself very intrigued with the plot so much. I guess since I am not a fan of hero quest stories, Alice in Wonderland did not really go beyond the cool scenes and the beautiful costumes. I am actually not a big fan of Alice herself (don't you think she is too pale?). She was a little blah in my opinion, although she was supposed to be stubborn and opinionated. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter did not have a bigger impact on the movie as Tim Burton and I had hoped.  Except his costume is quite brilliant, you wouldn't even recognize him under the makeup (like how he is in most movies)! I have to say, I laughed a bit when I saw Anne Hathaway's character as the White Queen. I found it a bit awkward for her to be in that role although somewhat refreshing. I wonder how it would have turned out if she did take the original offer of being Alice.

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Last updated: 2010-04-08 09:49:06 by user01

Booze Revooze: A Drinker’s Skewed View of ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Ramblings:  Drink Me (Or Eat Me-S'all The Same To Me)

Final Proof: 3½ Shots

You know how you get drunk with a Glimbirden? You swig Absinswallers all night until your vision hazes and the green Flickenfares dart around you like drunken fireflies. And the Glimbirden sits there, swalgerin down those drinks and spinning these twisted tales on his realspinder and the stories come to life before your eyes, danstering on the table before you, darkening the bar with clouded visioneers that puff out clouds of smoke and take the fanturbing forms of Lokclusters, Panklefents and Publessence. Then, once you’re about to peekle, a sudden solber descends on you like a cold rain in the wind and you realize you’ve only been sitting in a bar all along.  That’s exactly the way it is with Alice In Wonderland.
i’m willing to bet a beer that binge drinkers dig Tim Burton. Sure, the smokers of “wacky weed” (y’all digging how hep i am with the phat and fly newest slang?) and the takers of LSD are pro’lly standing (if a bit aslant) arm in arm with us. ‘Cause everyone knows the real reason all of us imbibe in licit and ill-icit distractions is to fly high enough to orbit Burton’s universe. And we get that here, we do, especially for the first 2/3s, if you don’t count the beginning.
Don’t get me wrong. Alice doesn’t disappoint. She’s stylish and slick, which makes her easy enough to get into. She looks good and she’s accessible, even for the youngest amongst us. On top of that, she works hard to please, which makes her extremely satisfying. The only problem (and it’s only a slight one, after all she’s done to us) is that she sobers up towards the end and you get the feeling she’s only going through the motions to finish us off. She wants to make us happy, sure, but she’s already got our money so she stops trying hard and becomes any other working girl.
What makes Alice cool is the non-stop action. There’s always something going on most of the time and it’s done to the tune of Tim Burton’s rich, luxurious, delusion-esque visions. Mix into the mix great performances by everyone (except Crispin Glover, that’s just the way it is) and, despite the film’s sobering up toward the end, you got a solid movie worth the see.
Speaking of, if you decide to follow my advice and fall down the hole, you should see it in 3D if it’s at all possible ’cause Burton uses a lot of that “coming at the camera” crap, which looks pretty ridiculous in 2D and also means you shouldn’t wait to download it, either.
Crap, i almost forgot, i gotta card Eleanor Tomlinson here. She plays Fiona Chattaway, half of the duo that inspire Alice’s visions of Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Unfortunately for us, she’s only 17 and thus not allowed any lower in The Bar None.

Normal shots and nothing age inappropriate going on here, kiddos.
Buzz Kills  (Watch Out for Spoilers)

Sex: 2 Shots

It’s a Disney film, babes in the woods. The closest thing you’ll get to sex is imaging Alice stepping naked from the sea of her clothes when she shrinks or her dress flying from her body when she grows. Oh yeah, there’s also an almost upskirt of her when she’s sitting next to the Red Queen. That’s about it.
Don’t worry, there’ll be more shots of her down under this post, in my drawers.
i’ve been in love with Helena Bonham Carter ever since A Room With A View. She has these gorgeous dark eyes i want to drown my sorrows in and that hair—god that hair in A Room With A View— i swear to god i would die a happy man if i were to hang myself with a noose made from braided tresses of that hair. Even stronger, i actually watched the whole thing, almost, and i hate any movie by that Jane Eyre chick.  While all the actors (even Crispin Glover was less bad than usual) turned in good performances, Helena’s portrayal of the Red Queen was my favorite. Every time she left the screen it was like finishing a fifth of Martini Rosso and wanting another one right away.  Then, when you realize she’s still super sexy at 43, you understand we’re dealing with major talent here.
i’ve got some individual shots of her on reserve in my drawers, at the bottom of this post.
i love Anne Hathaway’s mouth. Anne Hathaway (27) has a big mouth. If she had a party in her mouth, i’d come. i want to be her lipstick salesman so i can be as rich as she is. i read somewhere that she was offered the role of Alice in the movie but turned it down because she was tired of being the nice girl, especially after getting her start in something called The Princess Diaries series. Yeah, well, these photos show she’s not too nice a girl for The Bar None.
Showing up first, we get Jemma Powell (apparently ageless) who shines as Alice’s sister, Margaret Kingsleigh.
And, as mentioned above, there’s also Eleanor Gecks as Faith Chattaway, the “real life” Tweedledee to Eleanor Tomlinson’s Tweedledum.  Here then, is the Gecks part of the Eleanors, as sweet and refreshing as Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
For those of you who are more into Vorpel Swords than Rabbit Holes, i offer up Johnny Depp.
i like Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp, is cool. i’m not gay or anything (if i were gay i’d screw Michelle Rodriguez) but i think Johnny Depp is a good looking guy. On top of that he’s a truly talented actor and is together with a hot French chick and, before that, slept with Kate Moss a lot but only when she was hot. Don’t take it from me—god knows i wouldn’t—but Helena Bonham Carter:

He's very cool.  Whatever Johnny does, there's something cool about it.  He's very hip.  It's emotional and vulnerable, too, which makes it touching.

Here, then, is some emotional touching.
After the Depp stick, we’re stuck with Crispin Glover, as in “i’m overlooking a Crispin Glover / that I’ve overlooked before.”
  Drink: 0 Shots
Two words: Drink Me. That’s all we get here. Although i like the poetry of drinking making someone feel small. Yeah, i find that pretty appropriate.

Rock & Roll: 0 Shots

Apart from the Avril Lavigne song up top, there’s a totally Trip-Up dance tune where the Mad Hatter dances the Futterwacken.
The song jibes with the rest of the movie about as well as ice cubes in beer.

Boring Technical Crap

Written by:

Lewis Carroll (books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass)

Linda Woolverton (screenplay)

Directed by:

Tim Burton

Starring

Mia Wasikowska – Alice Kingsleigh

Helena Bonham Carter – Red Queen

Anne Hathaway – White Queen

Johnny Depp – Mad Hatter

Jemma Powell – Margaret Kingsleigh

Eleanor Gecks – Faith Chattaway

Eleanor Tomlinson – Fiona Chattaway

Crispin Glover – Ilosovic Stayne

Bottom Line

See it, especially in 3D.

Al K Hall<br />
Functional Alcoholic Slurperson<br />
(No, REALLY. Google &amp;quot;Slurperson&amp;quot; if you don't believe me.)

Last updated: 2010-04-06 19:13:52 by user08

The new Alice

 

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is not your typical Alice tale. But we didn’t really expect that from him: we expected the glorious dark artwork that he has given us and he did not disappoint. A new vision of the old Alice. Wonderland and the Looking Glass merged.

This movie is destined to be my favorite of the Alice films, if for no other reason than that it  is about control and choices. As a child reading the book, I realized that Alice in Wonderland is not only about growing up, but it’s taking control of your destiny(in this case, your dream). As Alice keeps repeating in the film, “It’s MY dream.” Everyone is telling her what to do, in the world above, and in “Underland” below. There is a moment where she clearly stands to take charge of her destiny, about halfway though the film, but the reality is that she began taking charge the moment she followed the white rabbit.

The new Underland is a place filled with decaying splendor. I particularly enjoyed the scene with the key, the cordial, and the door into the garden. In the book, it’s like a math puzzle(yes, the author was a mathematician). You keep trying until you get the correct formula for the solution.

Missing are familiar characters: but a few unappreciated ones get new faces. Jabberwocky becomes a real threat–and the feuding Red and White Queens reminded me of children. But children with the powers of adults.The punishment of the Red Queen feels a bit like the punishment one child would mete out to another–but it’s far more horrible when you think of what it will eventually become.

And of course, Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter was quite perfect. A glimpse of the character before his madness gives us enough depth to understand him better. He’s not just a figure of fun. Much to the contrary.

Alice emerges from Underland with a new knowledge of how to deal with her own “mad tea party” in the real world. The heavy subjects of death, unfaithfulness in marriage, and dealing with one’s personal nightmares are all brought to light in the movie. And decisions must be made. It’s deeper than a child’s movie–rather deep for the PG rating. Still, it is un-gilded in its approach. Honest. Unflinching.

And darkly perfect.

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Last updated: 2010-04-08 17:45:20 by kayhalo

Alice’s Wonderland

Rafael Solece

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Starring:  Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Tim Burton and screenwriter Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) team up to deliver this visually dazzling take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale. Nineteen-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is attending party at a lavish country estate when she sees a white rabbit with a pocket watch dart into the bushes. Curious, she follows the rabbit to an enormous tree, and tumbles down a hole that takes her to Underland, a strange world inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures in search of someone to save them from the dreaded Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), who has assumed control of the kingdom by decapitating anyone who dares disagree with her. According to a scroll detailing a historical timeline of Underland — including events that have not yet taken place — it is Alice who will set the kingdom free by defeating the Jabberwocky, a powerful dragon-like creature under the control of the Red Queen. But is this Alice the same Alice who appears in the scroll? While some of the creatures of Underland have their doubts, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and his friends are certain she’s the same girl who previously visited them years ago. When the Red Queen kidnaps the Mad Hatter, Alice attempts to free her friend and locate the one weapon with the power to slay the Jabberwocky, thereby restoring the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to the throne, and bringing peace back to Underland.

My Thoughts: I Absolutely love the insane mind of Tim Burton. Only he could paint such a dazzling yet disturb picture of Wonderland as it pertains to the story. In classic Burton form he manages to deliver a story line that not only keeps in line with the original tale of alice in Wonderland as we know it, but breaths a sort of demented darkness that only his imaginative mind could create. Johnny Depp is fantastic as the Mad Hatter and Anne Hathaway is mesmerizing her portrayal of the White Queen. This movie had me giddy with anticipation as I stood in line for my ticket, and I was not disappointed. I believe audiences will love this movie. My grade stands alone!

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Rafael Solece

Last updated: 2010-03-31 21:39:18 by user07

Alice in Wonderland

"More like Alice In Blunder land" - I remember the days when Depp and Burton were great together....Sadly that’s not today.

19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

Painstakingly uninspiring and un-imaginative comes to mind after watching this re-incarnation of Lewis Carroll's classic. Alice (Mia Wasikowska) was an incredibly dull character indeed, poorly handled by Mia Wasikowska in my opinion. I felt Johnny Depp wasn’t his normal self also as the poorly written Mad Hatter. Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen could be only described as 'Nauseating' and the "Off with their heads" line gets so tedious rather quickly.

What’s with the Lewis Carroll abandonment?,  and where is all the imagery that we love from the original AIW?? The looking glass and the chequered floors? I felt so detached from the story. The sets looked terrible, like they'd been thrown together and the scenes didn’t gel well together at all. It honestly felt like a terrible mess of a film, I'm not sure whether it was down to the studio's involvement but I just felt it had no relation to its original source material. CGI in general never impresses me that much unless its done in a unique way (a la Avatar), the CGI was poor in my opinion and the 3D elements were 'non-existent', in fact this really didn't warrant being in 3D at all, you just know parents everywhere will be paying over the odds for expensive seats and glasses and not even feel any benefit from it. Once Avatar raised the bar for 3D films this was always going to look pale in comparison but for me there's no substance here at all, its just a congealed mess. I went into this film without hearing any of the bad reviews and with hand on my heart hoping to like this film.  I suppose this is the kind of film we could expect from Disney but its just so disheartening to see such talent wasted in this.

http://robinollysays.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-03-27 16:01:30 by Robinolly

Alice In Wonderland

"Off with their heads!" is the phrase that will haunt Alice's therapy sessions for years to come as she deals with her dreams of caterpillars who smoke, cats who smile and mad Johnny Depp wearing silly hats and an awful red wig. Of course, the Deppster remains, to quote the girls behind me, "ridiculously hot". Go figure.

One Word Movie Review: GOOD

Alice in Wonderland is a 3D crayola fantasy for about an hour and then turns into Joan D'Arc slaying the Dragon because it is her destiny - written on that long scrolly-thing we've seen about a hundred times in the movie so we don't forget. Predictable story aside, the theater was sold out on opening night and this
movie will do huge business and Johnny Depp can write his own ticket to do anything he wants. However, the full house was quiet throughout and no cheers or clapping rang out at the end so this movie will open but not have the legs to sustain the mountain of Alice-related products Disney has licensed from clothing to tea pots. So sad.

Then there is the riddle of the raven, passed down from the book to irritate and confound many generations of fans, including a new legion with this movie! The film is full of eye candy in a View-Master stereoscopic way, with fine performances by all the actors - I mean who wouldn't want to play a big red-head Queenie and scream "off with their heads!" at the drop of a hat?

Hats drop aplenty, and poor Alice gets tall and small and the Cheshire Cat grins and poofs away. It's all there, and in 3D so the scones fly right at you and the red card/guards poke away in your face and who can forget the extended fall down the rabbit hole? In 3D, it's a giant hole in the ground full of pianos and beds and it makes you yearn for a remake of The Wizard of Oz just to see Dorothy's house swept up in the tornado in 3D. Oh my, would that be something!

The Story

The story is familiar, with a few twists, with Alice much older and full of memories of her strange dream she had as a child. Now she is all grown up, fiercely independent and missing her father, named Charles Kingsley, author of that other dear children's fantasy book, The Water-Babies. Charlie convinced Alice that the best people in life are absolutely mad and every day should start with imagining six impossible things before breakfast. So, we get to hear these sage pearls again and again as the movie tells the tale of the red queen vs. the white queen and who will save our hero, the Mad Hatter.

Once we meet the usual crowd of Wonderland oddballs, we are meant to care deeply about the White Queen's vow of pacifism, Alice's tiresome insistence she's not a dragon/Jabberwock slayer and oh, that this is all a dream and she will wake up soon. Most of all, she insists she's not the "real" Alice. Well we all know she is, so spare us the suspense, please.

Anyway, the director Tim Burton takes the Mad Hatter's advice and does everything vigorously, with great battles on checkerboards, scorched-earth vistas smoldering artfully and cute little animal furniture scurrying underfoot. There is a restlessness about the land, with lots of rushing about and screaming and retrieving of swords from doghouses. Yes, the sword is the key to slaying the fearsome Jabberwock and defeat big head Red Queenie.

It all ends as predicted, including Alice returning to the real world and turning down the geeky Lord's marriage proposal. No, she'd rather take a slow boat to China just like her dad would have done if he was still alive. So she sails away with her memories of Underland (not Wonderland - that's for kids), a determination to think of six more impossible things before breakfast every morning and making sense of why a raven is like a writing desk.

The Genre

The classic children's fantasy genre is Disney's gold mine, heigh-ho, heigh-ho. Alice has inspired many movies, plays, comic books, video games and songs and influenced more drug trips than any other creative source. In this version, she is dumbed down and modernized to today's version of an ideal woman. When you see her in shiny armor, sword in hand, the Force with her, golden locks tossed in the air as she brings the mighty blade down on the neck of the Jabberwock, well it is a Lord of the Rings/Star Wars/Harry Potter moment. At least, the film tries for that.

Personally, I like my Alice taking the drugs to get small and her only violence is the stomping of her foot when things get too silly. There is oodles of money to be made here and Disney will squeeze every dime out of this franchise.

The Overall Quality

Helen Bonham Carter is funny and creepy as the big head Queenie. Johnny Depp is surprisingly heroic as the Mad Hatter, bringing his Jack Sparrow to the tea party. Mia Wasikowska is delicately restrained as Alice, fragile yet curious and confident as she navigates through her role of arranged bride/gladiator/liberated Victorian. Tim Burton has been in this type of world before, so his images and designs are not as fresh as earlier efforts, but he does assemble a convincingly weird Wonderland, but it pales in primary color comparison with the world of Avatar we've all seen now as the standard for 3D fantasy environments.

The View-Master look of the scenery struck me about half-way through the film. I remember as a kid clicking through those picture reels with joyous wonder and I had some deja-vu moments with the castle scenes in this movie. The music is forgettable and we've already covered the ho-hum story, with the repetitive plot points and Lord of the Rings ending.

In the end, like the crowd in the theater with me, I was disappointed. Alice delivers to formula rather than flying into the fantastic-sphere.

Movie/Market Analysis

MarketBOB’s sentiment indicators, the GQS (Genre, Quality, Story) rate Alice In Wonderland an emotional BEAR. This is an expensive movie to go see and, sad to say, the 3D bar has been raised higher with Avatar. Just having pastel make-up and silly hats doesn't cut it anymore. The packed theater was primed for a spectacular voyage into the imagination of Burton interpreting Carroll but instead, we got Disney's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with Alice playing the toad.

Oh yes, about why the raven is like a writing desk? Because it can produces a few notes, or quotes.

Craig Forgrave (MarketBOB)

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Last updated: 2010-03-30 01:52:15 by marketbob

The New Alice

Tim  Burton's Alice in Wonderland is not your typical Alice tale. But  we didn't really expect that from him: we expected the glorious dark  artwork that he has given us and he did not disappoint. A new vision of  the old Alice. Wonderland and the Looking Glass merged.
This  movie is destined to be my favorite of the Alice films, if for no other  reason than that it  is about control and choices. As a child reading  the book, I realized that Alice in Wonderland is not only about growing  up, but it's taking control of your destiny(in this case, your dream).  As Alice keeps repeating in the film, "It's MY dream." Everyone is  telling her what to do, in the world above, and in "Underland" below.  There is a moment where she clearly stands to take charge of her  destiny, about halfway though the film, but the reality is that she  began taking charge the moment she followed the white rabbit.
The  new Underland is a place filled with decaying splendor. I particularly  enjoyed the scene with the key, the cordial, and the door into the  garden. In the book, it's like a math puzzle(yes, the author was a  mathematician). You keep trying until you get the correct formula for  the solution.
Missing  are familiar characters: but a few unappreciated ones get new faces.  Jabberwocky becomes a real threat--and the feuding Red and White Queens  reminded me of children. But children with the powers of adults.The  punishment of the Red Queen feels a bit like the punishment one child  would mete out to another--but it's far more horrible when you think of  what it will eventually become.


And  of course, Johnny Depp's portrayal of the Mad Hatter was quite perfect. A  glimpse of the character before his madness gives us enough depth to  understand him better. He's not just a figure of fun. Much to the  contrary.
Alice  emerges from Underland with a new knowledge of how to deal with her own  "mad tea party" in the real world. The heavy subjects of death,  unfaithfulness in marriage, and dealing with one's personal nightmares  are all brought to light in the movie. And decisions must be made. It's  deeper than a child's movie--rather deep for the PG rating. Still, it is  un-gilded in its approach. Honest. Unflinching.
And  darkly perfect.

  

Alice in Wonderland

A smoking caterpillar, jabberwocky to be dealt with, butterfingers comprised of real fingers. Welcome to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. As directed by Burton with screenplay by Linda Woolverton, Alice in Wonderland is imaginative and beautiful to watch.                               

Burton’s Alice is 19 and on the verge of being proposed to by the son of her deceased father’s business partner—a man no want would want as a fiancé. In a panic, she runs off and falls down…a rabbit hole. There’s she’s reunited with friends from her childhood’s past adventure in Underland, led by the Mad Hatter. Her mission in Underland? Restoring the White Queen to her rightful throne.

Relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska is outstanding as Alice. She reminds one of a young Gwyneth Paltrow. Strip away the make-up and you find a playful, always interesting Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. It’s fun to think about what roles he might be taking on when he enters his 60s. There seems to be nothing he can’t do.

Alice features a terrific supporting cast, mostly unrecognizable underneath fantastic make-up and inspired costumes or just the voices in some cases—look for Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter as the White and Red Queens respectively, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Michael Sheen as the White Rabbit, Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts, Christopher Lee as the Jabberwocky and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat.

Alice in Wonderland is shot in 3-D, which is not necessary. A combination of animation and live acting, the other effects are so visually stunning, 3-D seems like a toy with which Burton wanted to play. Sometimes less is more.

Only 108 minutes long, the film seems longer and does drag in spots.  But if you’re looking for a treat to the senses with a healthy dose of great acting, you’ll enjoy your visit down the rabbit hole.
 

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Last updated: 2010-03-22 15:49:10 by jfuchsman

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

I had low expectations going into Tim Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland.  Pretty much all of Tim Burton's good movies were in the 90's when he had a unique original vision.  For the past decade though, he has directed mostly re-makes of old movies and actually made them worse.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Planet of the Apes are great examples.  He likes to make his movies rather stylish and trippy but forgets about keeping the story interesting.

I figured his take on Alice in Wonderland would be similarly bad.  But I must say that while it's not great, it certainly holds your interest.  It's still more dazzling visuals than anything else, but it sure does have a great look to it.  I suppose the original story was interesting enough that it's rather hard to make it boring.  In fact, this version combines the original book with the sequel, Through the Looking Glass.  That brings about some extra characters and keeps the film moving for the most part.  Burton's favorite actor Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter and manages to put his own unique spin on the character.  Nobody's better at playing weird roles than he is.  Children will love the fantasy-land aspect of the film but will probably get lost in all the weird dialogue.  A lot of it didn't even make sense to me.  The movie is a bit of an incoherent mess but an entertaining one nonetheless.  It's also cool to see "George McFly" back in another big film.

Recommendations: The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Se7en , 25th Hour

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-philadelphia/danny-porcaro

Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton, 2010)

THE SCOOP
Director: Tim Burton
Plot: 19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Family
Awards: -
Runtime: 108min
Rating: PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar.

IN RETROSPECT
Tim Burton’s career in the last two decades can be summed up as a consistent series of peaks and valleys. His latest effort, Alice in Wonderland, a loose rethinking of the popular children’s book by Lewis Carroll is a significant dip in form. It represents one of Burton’s worst directing efforts since his remake of Planet of the Apes (2001). From the high of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), a morbidly satisfying drama-musical centering on a vengeful barber who kills his customers for his wife’s meat pies, Burton falls flat with Alice in Wonderland, a film which tries too hard to impress viewers.
 
Its box-office takings seem to suggest otherwise though. Earning more than US$500 million worldwide thus far, Burton appears to have created a real winner. Admittedly there are some positives to the film and I shall highlight one of them – the visuals. They are excellent, and in 3-D format, viewers will be in for a treat. Burton’s fantastical imageries come across as playful and gloomy. It’s like watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) except that the factory is located in Sleepy Hollow (1999). If there is something I admire about Burton, it is his consistent artistic vision no matter what the subject matter is. He is like Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 1985; The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, 2009) but has more than just a cult following.
 
Bear in mind that Alice in Wonderland is no Avatar (2009). James Cameron has raised the ceiling of 3-D technology to such a towering level that it allows us to take a forgiving stance towards his weak screenplay. Burton’s film, on the other hand, does not feature “Pandoraesque cinematography” and as a result its threadbare plot is embarrassingly obvious. This is best explained by the inclusion of the final (and formulaic) battle sequence between the armies of the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and the peace-loving White Queen (Anne Hathaway). The thrill-less battle has a foregone conclusion and the build-up is disappointing. It is as if Burton has run out of ideas, adding in an (anti)climatic sequence just to appease his fans.
 
Burton’s film is at times too dark and unsuitable for younger children (the film’s target audience) with images of decapitated heads floating in a moat and a blue talking caterpillar smoking heavily. But this is balanced by oddball characters created “just for laughs” e.g. the Tweedle brothers and the Cheshire Cat. Johnny Depp also plays the Mad Hatter, a weird cross between Sweeney Todd and Willy Wonka. It is not one of his best performances for a Burton film, but he just manages to hold his own against the scene-stealing Bonham Carter (and her bulbly head) who exudes a likeable but devilish persona which is more funny than scary.
 
Alice in Wonderland will probably gratify its intended target audience while most will just enjoy immersing themselves in Burton’s visuals. But there are some who will feel that they have seen (and experience) it all before. Just ask Dorothy Gale. Seriously, where is the magic?
 
SCORE: 6/10
[www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

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Recommendations: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962), The Visitor

Singapore's Most Prolific Film Blogger @ www.filmnomenon.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-03-18 18:42:04 by eternality_tan

Film Review: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

RATING 6.5/10

BOTTOM LINE: Visually stunning, but flat in its narrative and story, “Alice In Wonderland” demonstrates director Tim Burton’s flair for images if not any sense of narrative depth or character.

THE GOOD: Going in to a Tim Burton movie you will know that at least visually he will create something unique, rich and off-beat; “Alice In Wonderland” is no exception to this rule. The fantastic combination of computer animation, live action actors and presentation in 3-D makes the world of Wonderland come to life in a way that has not been seen before. The interaction between computer generated and live action characters is seamless, and the impression you get is of one image after another that resemble graphic art rather than film. Being based on a popular and strong story, the film does well in presenting Alice’s journey from a going from Point A to Point B perspective. The film really shines in the visuals, production design, costume and make-up. As light-hearted fare, “Alice In Wonderland” makes for a somewhat entertaining film.

THE BAD: The film is flat from a narrative and character perspective. There is no sense of drama or rhythm, as each sequence flows from one point to the next with mechanical precision. It almost seems as if Tim Burton has taken for granted that you know this story already and instead plunges you straight in without much of a dramatic introduction. He does change the story so Alice is now a late teen, but this hardly matters as her story is essential still the same, despite the fact that elements of both of the original novels have been combined in to this story. In some ways it feels like a sequel, but it is not, which adds to the lack of interesting drama. You feel as if you have missed out on something in the story, something to hook you in Alice’s original journey. As a result, the film is enjoyable enough to watch, particularly from a visual perspective, but there is no emotional or dramatic connection to be made with it.

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Alice in Wonderland

I managed to catch Alice in Wonderland yesterday and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it despite some of the bad reviews that it has received. It's very much derived from Lewis Carroll's two books and Tim Burton does a great job at taking the story further from where the books left off. It's a Tim Burton movie through and through; featuring his favourite leading man Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and his wife Helena Bonham Carter playing the Red Queen.

It's a story of self-discovery and self-exploration in a sense. I won't spoil the rest of the plot for you but I'd catch this one and judge it for yourself. It's a great Tim Burton movie with the usual dark edge. The cast does a great job and the special effects are pretty cool. I didn't catch it in 3D so I really don't know if it's worth the extra dough to go into the 3rd dimension. I heard that the move was converted from 2D to 3D so it might not be that great a 3D experience. Nevertheless the option is available to all of ya.

I give Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" a solid 4 stars (out of 5).

Visit my blog here for reviews and more!

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Last updated: 2010-03-14 05:14:13 by chrisleow

Alice In Wonderland

A 19-year-old Alice returns to the place in her dreams wonderland and  finds out she is the lands champion and the only one can stop the Red  Queen.
Alice (Mia Waskiowska) attends an upscale garden party and learns  that she is about to be proposed to by Hamish (Leo Bill) the son of one  of her late fathers business partners while Hamish proposes Alice spots  the white rabbit and chases after him leaving Hamish and the guests to  wait.  Alice soon falls into the rabbit’s whole and starts the quest  that will lead her to her destiny, to kill the Jabberwocky and put an  end to the red queens reign. Along the way she meets the familiar  character such as the Chesire Cat(Stephen Fry) and Tweedledee and  Tweedledum(both by Matt Lucas) as well as the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp)
The Film has the visual look that at this point is standard Burton,  what 15 years ago might have been considered revolutionary is now his  signature style. Depp as the mad hatter puts on a funny voice and wears a  wig and a lot of makeup, while he does his usual performance which is  better than almost anyone else’s it feels at this point that we have  seen this one already especially after his performance in Charlie and  the chocolate factory.
The film is entertaining but feels like Burton played it a bit safe  if the film was a little darker and not confined to a Disney PG rating,  Burton might have created something truly special unfortunately it  doesn’t reach that level and instead gives exactly what we expect and  nothing more. It feels as though Tim Burton has in the words of the Mad  Hatter “lost his “muchness”. Grade-80

Alice In Wonderland

Despite  clearly having sold out a very long time ago, Tim Burton has a  remarkably untarnished reputation. He still gets 'from visionary  director Tim Burton' in all his trailers and his name still pulls quite a  bit of weight in the taste of indie girls and boys. But I submit to you  that this guy is done. He's been done for the best part of a decade,  relying on former glories whilst taking studio project after studio  project, each glossier and more vapid then the last (with the possible  exception of Sweeney Todd, depending on your feelings on that particular  film). He still injects the occasional moment of dark humor into his  films, but mostly they just exist to make money now.

Alice In  Wonderland is certainly no exception. The same wondrous and glossy  surface barely covering the sheer abyss of needlessness and emptiness.  Everything comes and goes, we go from one miraculously designed setting  to the next all the while not giving a shit of any kind. Much like Tim  Burton to be honest, who certainly didn't say yes to this film on the  basis of the script. Which acts as a pseudo sequel the the seminal Lewis  Carroll novel. It takes that world's awesome acid trip for kids concept  and shoehorns it in to your standard fantasy heroic adventure, in which  there's chosen ones, sword-fights and battles with giant CGI monsters.  So basically it takes Carroll's genius, exploits it and exports it into a  much blander, much more despicable story. How is the director of Ed  Wood OK with this? It reeks of apathy and paycheck driven film-making.

The  film is just about saved from being an utter, horrific disaster by the  actors. Burton's stalwarts Johnny Depp ( whose career is really starting  to get stalled by his continual presence in shitty Burton films) and  Helena Bonham Carter are as good as you would expect. Depp, who at first  seems like he's just rolling out a less impressionable version of his  Willy Wonka character, gives it more heft when incorporating a darker  Scottish accent when the Mad Hatter is going all Psycho, which makes the  performance occasionally darker and more interesting. Still not a patch  on what Depp can do though. Bonham Carter seems to be channeling  Miranda Richardson's Queen Elizabeth from Blackadder, but in a good way.  There's the same notion of the entitled, spoilt little woman-child, and  the same glee in saying off with someone's head. I also enjoyed, much  to my surprise, Anne Hathaway's White Queen. Hathaway seems to have  injected some knowing irony in regards to her character's ethereal  knowing, and very subtly manages to be more then a plot point. As for  the awesomely named Mia Wazikowska's Alice however, not so much. She's a  promising young actress if her work in HBO's In Treatment is anything  to go by, but here she's a little stilted and awkward, perhaps  concentrating more on the accent then the delivery.

But my main  gripe is with Burton, who has cannibalized a great work of literature  for the sake of what looks good on a happy meal box. Sure it looks good,  but I'm tired of that being enough for people. It certainly wasn't for  me. I'm at the point now where Burton has to win me back over, as I go  into every film he makes expecting crap. This time I got what I wanted.  It did not feel good.

Rating: 5/10

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Alice in Wonderland

108 mins
Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar

Director Tim Burton is known for offbeat and visually striking movies. Alice in Wonderland is no exception. Even with off-the-wall lines, stunning visuals, and a few interesting character and plot functions, Burton delivers a sadly mediocre adventure for Alice. A meandering plot, gimmicky 3D, and sometimes alienating and outlandish aspects of Tim Burton's imagination fall short of a wonderful Wonderland.

Tim Burton's incarnation of Alice in Wonderland goes like this: Alice, who has had frequent dreams of a strange land, is brought to a party by her mother in hopes of becoming engaged to Hamish Ascot. After she sees a white rabbit, Alice requests time to think on her marriage decision and ends up in Underland (that is not a typo) via a nasty rabbit hole. While Alice's goal is to get home, the creatures of Underland have hopes that she will slay the Jabberwockey, and thus, free them from the rule of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). All of this is preceded by the first major scene, the engagement party for Alice. Burton brilliantly condenses nearly the entire story into a few minutes, and provides a good set of themes for him to build upon for the rest of the film. However, after that, the story wanders for the first Act and a half before finally reaching a surprisingly cliche resolution. Alice in Wonderland suffers from a story that is, coming from Tim Burton (of all people!), ironically dull and generic.

Alice in Wonderland's visuals are often eye candy but at times too bizarre to be taken seriously. Tim Burton filmed Underland with green screens and the result is an effectively creepy, vibrant and sometimes borderline photo realistic world. Although, the manifestations of what's inside Tim Burton's head (and the resulting trademark visual style) can also be flat out absurd. I find it hard to concentrate on saving the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) when the Knave of Hearts has out of proportion limbs. The worst incarnation of oddity is the Mad Hatter's dance routine after the climax. It nearly destroys any enjoyment of the previous battle scene. A similar issue comes along with the intended laughs in Alice in Wonderland. Don't get me wrong, there were a few mildly funny jokes made by the Mad Hatter or any other nut in Underland, but many fall flat because of how strange the humor is. I only find the fact that the Red Queen enjoys putting her tired feet on a warm pig belly weird.

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<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Mia Wasikowska (as Alice) lookin' like a fool with her dress on the ground
The 3D has problems of it's own. For the most part, Tim Burton uses 3D in no more a creative way than a small child would. The effects are mostly gimmicky and sub-par compared to other movies (let's be honest, I'm comparing it to Avatar since that's the current standard). There are a few segments where 3D is rather effective and fun, such as the low-flying flight through a forest. The most appropriate use of 3D is depicting the floating cat Chessur, who only seems more mysterious when popping out of the screen. But I could care less for the ever popular sword-poking-out-of-the-screen deal. It only makes Wonderland all the cheesier.

<div style="text-align: left;">Even with a differently named setting, Alice in Wonderland retains much of the original story's appropriate zaniness with a multitude of references and a good pattern of sticking true to important (and trivial) characters and facts. The Mad Hatter still performs "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat", and Absolem the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman in top notch voice) is sill smokin' his hookah (which I found hilarious for whatever reason). Like said before, sometimes the oddness can get out of hand. But when it works, boy does it work well. The Red Queen's head is dandy as big as it is; I can't imagine her without it. A few themes in Alice in Wonderland function well, too. I found it nice to have a female heroine mixing things up. (But it still felt a little bit strange since 99% of heroes these days are dudes, which is by no means a flaw in Alice, just a reflection of how behind our culture is). It's also nice to have Tim Burton put in some good concepts for kids to feed off of, mainly the good old be-what-you-want-to-be gig.

 Alice in Wonderland suffers from things that director Tim Burton tends to avoid: a predictable and conventional story, a wandering plot, an overload of bizarre and a lack of much to be taken seriously. Even when armed with 3D and green screens galore, Alice in Wonderland falls into the rabbit hole far enough that it just might not be worth saving. Alice, let's keep you out of Wonderland (or whatever it's called now) for a a while yet.


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Alice in Wonderland: Movie Review

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Recommendations:

Last updated: 2010-03-11 03:57:57 by user06

Alice in Wonderland

I give the movie: 3.0/5

Since 2009 when the first wacky images of the cast members were released, everyone knew Tim Burton's take on this beloved classic would be different. It was to be another anticipated team-up with his favourite muse, Johnny Depp, who were the same team who reinvented Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, brought us the macabre delight Sweeney Todd, and Burton himself a master of the stop-motion classic A Nightmare Before Christmas.

It does seem like the perfect team to bring us through the rabbit hole once again, and rest assured that everything we love about the crazy pair is still intact (mad creativity; quirky humour), but the thing that was lacking was a key ingredient to make Alice a wild success - and that is the sense of wonder.

SYNOPSIS

Burton's adaptation is more of a coming-of-age retelling. The little Alice we knew has grown-up, and she is about to get married into an uptight middle-class family. In the midst of her marriage proposal, she gets distracted by a rabbit with a ticking watch, and before she knew it, it was down the hole and into Wonderland once more, except now she can't really recall her supposed last visit.

According to a prophecy, the dubious Alice was to slay a terrifying monster in order to end the terrible reign of the Red Queen. Along with the help of old friends the Mad Hatter, the White Queen and a whole range of other new friends, Alice embarks on a journey where she learn lessons of bravery as well as the importance of friendship.


PRAISES

The most striking part of the film has got to be the sumptuous visuals. The 3D technology involved complements Burton's wild creativity and the product - most notably Alice's thrilling fall through the rabbit hole - is a treat for the eyes.

Burton's erstwhile cast also fair splendidly with the colourful palette. Depp's zaniness is a perfect match with the Mad Hatter, while Anne Hatthaway's White Queen is delightfully airy. But the stand-out here has got to be Burton's own wife - the scene-stealing Helena Bonham Carter as the silly, temper-filled Red Queen. Her performance alone makes Wonderland very watchable.


FLAWS

But with such a beautiful package, one cannot help but nit-pick at the glaring lack of a fresh plot to make Wonderland wonderful. What is distracting is the fact that the storyline closely resembles that of Narnia's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and the battle sequences were just as half-baked.

The cacophony of insane characters (including two CGI rabbits and one rather lame CGI mouse) contribute little to the predictable plot, which really is a pity, since Burton is known to paint the most memorable of characters.


FINAL SAY

Nevertheless, while the visual-flair of the film is definitely on-par with his stop-motion classics (which includes Corpse Bride), one cannot say the same for the emotional depth. Like its gorgeous promotional posters, appreciate the colours and the actors, but don't expect anything more than that.

Wilson Ng - http://wilsoniscurious.blogspot.com/

Last updated: 2010-03-13 23:19:02 by wilsoniscurious

Review: Alice In Wonderland

Maybe it was my eyes, but the 3D effect of Tim Burton's take's on Lewis Carroll's beloved children stories (and just like every adaptation that has ever been done, he combines both books: Alice Adventure's In Wonderland, and Through The Looking Glass into one singular story) seem to diminished after the first 15 minutes, and then it is rarely noticeable thereafter.  But with 3D out of the way, the visuals, as with anything that Tim Burton creates, are really cool. His gothic touch can be seen everywhere, and yet, as a whole, the movie isn't quite as dazzling as we were promise.

The plot itself, is close enough to the Lewis Caroll books, but in trying to do a sort of detour-sequel, it sort of feels "not here, nor there," and that takes from the overall experience as well.
Johnny Depp is mad, but not mad enough, Helena Bonham-Carter has fun as the Red Queen, but she grows a bit irritating after a while, with her never-ending "off with their heads!" command.  Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, plays her part a bit too ethereal; at times I felt she was going to poof! like the Cheshire cat.  Alan Rickman has fun voicing the blue caterpillar, and Alice herself, seems to be annoyed that she is equally trapped in London as she is in Wonderland, by forces that want her to be something she doesn't want to be.  This detour-sequel called for a bit of deeper digging on the story between the two queen sisters, but it doesn't go there. Also, I really didn't see the point of changing the name from Wonderland to Underland.
In the end, it is fun, it is wild at times, and definitely something to check out in imax 3D... if its available in your area, even if the effect seems to wear off after a while.  I simply wish that for once, an "Alice" story would simply stick to the books and stop combining them or twisting them in whichever way studios think will make for a more *exciting* story.  Grade: B-

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Alice in Wonderland - **1/2

Review:  I was very disappointed by this movie.  Now, there is a difference between a bad movie and a disappointed movie.  This movie was disappointing.  A bad movie has no clear reason why it was made and no true entertainment value (see:  Wolverine, The Wolfman, Terminator Salvation); whereas a disappointing movie is a movie that had potential but squandered it.

This movie definitely had a lot of potential and only about 5-10% was actually realized.  Sad because there was so much here that could have been done so well.  There was a reason I was really excited for this movie and it was because of this potential.

The movie, of course, centers around Alice and her adventures (or misadventures) in Wonderland.  Now, this is not the original story we all know that was told in the classic animated Disney movie from the '50's or the TV version from the '90's (which was actually very well done).  Rather, this movie deals with Alice's second visit to Wonderland.  I do not know the books well enough to know if this was a story that was told in the writings of Lewis Carrol as well or if it was somebody compounding on his vision.  Either way, the story involves Alice once again falling down the rabbit hole and coming to Wonderland. 
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Once she has arrived, the inhabitants of Wonderland keep debating about whether or not she is the "real Alice."  You see, since Alice's last visit the evil Red Queen has taken over Wonderland and pretty much destroyed everything with the help of her Jabberwocky (which I have always thought of as one of the coolest names for a mythical creature, but I digress).  The good inhabitants of Wonderland have been searching for grown up Alice to return and destroy the Jabberwocky to restore the White Queen to power and get Wonderland back to normal. 

This provides a very interesting avenue and quite a lot of freedom to explore this world.  In the hands of Tim Burton this was a very exciting prospect.  Todd McFarlane (the creator of Spawn and various different toy lines) made a series of toys about the "Twisted Land of Oz" which included a S&M Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman, a ferocious Lion, and a twisted Scarecrow among others.  This was seen as sacrilegious to fans of the Wizard of Oz, but an interesting idea nonetheless.  Taking a wholesome story that has been so ingrained in culture and turning it on it's head was a very intriguing prospect (there is even talk of a Twisted Land of Oz movie in the future).  I didn't necessarily want this version of Alice to go as far as S&M, but to make the movie darker and bit more foreboding would be perfect, especially coming from Tim Burton. 

However, this movie never was truly able to get going.  The movie has a very imaginative landscape and the special effects fit the story and Wonderland well; yet, I still found myself disinterested.  The majority of the characters are completely CGI to the point that I question why they didn't just go ahead and make the entire movie animated.  The characters were all flat and didn't really make you care one way or the other for them.  The brightest spot of the movie was Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen who seemed to be the only one to have fun with her role and give her character some life.  Relative newcomer Mia Kasiwalska is flat and not really believable as Alice.  Her dialogue seems forced and she doesn't seem to have much invested into her character.  Same goes for the rest of the cast as well, all seemed disinterested, leaving the audience disinterested as well (especially Ann Hathaway's dreadful performance as the White Queen). 

I mentioned earlier about the movie realizing 5-10% of it's potential, that came in the forma of relationship between The Madd Hatter (Depp) and Alice.  Depp's performance as the Hatter was contrived and hard to figure out.  He kept switching his speaking voice back and forth from the higher pitched, slightly lisped voice of the Hatter, to a much deeper Scottish Brogue type voice.  This just kept asking for a backstory as to why the Hatter kept switching (besides the obligatory "well...he's mad"), which I really wanted but never got.  Anyway, his relationship with Alice seemed to be the truest part of the movie.  There is no sexual tension between the two and it isn't really a father-daughter type relationship either.  Their relationship is that of two best friends who are the only ones who truly understand each other.  The Hatter was driven to his state of "mad-" ness by the world around him and Alice has always felt like an outsider in her own world.  However, these two are able to understand each other on a level not reached by anybody else from their own worlds.  This is something they both strive for in their lives and it is why they work so well together.  This is the best part of the movie and the only part that feels real.  But again, this was not delved into near enough and we only get a glimpse.  There could have been so much more to explore here.

Matter of fact, there could have been so much more to explore in this whole world that just went unnoticed.  The movie was more concerned with having it's resolution discovered and special effects used than just spending time in Wonderland figuring out all it's curiosities, which, if you ask me, is what the stories are all about. 

I probably liked this movie less than the rating I gave it but I give Tim Burton and Johnny Depp the benefit of the doubt.  That may be stupid, but it's my review and I can do what I want.  Overall, this movie was just very disappointing and ultimately not really worth your time.

Alice in Wonderland: A Horrid and Shameless Re-envisioning of the Classic Imaginary Tales

Lewis Carroll was a marvelous writer and there is no doubt that he had an ability to create grand imagery, perfect allegory, and an intriguing wondrous literary experience. But don’t go looking for any grand allegorical referencing in Burton’s ridiculous attempt at re-envisioning the classic tales of “Alice in Wonderland,” because all of it has been replaced with cheap visual tricks, bland repetitive dialogue, and contrite humor that make experiencing Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland far from a wonderful experience. When more than a third of the script’s dialogue pertains to arguing whether this is the original Alice from the adventures before one can’t help but get annoyed at how obviously simple this script was to write. Burton’s view of Alice in Wonderland is far from being an accurate adaptation and one might expect this since Burton has already stated in multiple interviews that he had no connection with the original stories. This results in a shameful attempt at perhaps expanding or making a classic work into a mediocre entertainment flick that is typical of the Hollywood corporate manufacturing process. For a director that prides himself on being that strange and independent type contrasting the usual artist Hollywood supports than why does it feel as though this project is completely unoriginal in delivery and feels more like a bastardization of all three Alice in Wonderland books? The arrogance of Burton reeks from the screen in a way that recalls his horrid vision of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where spectacle, art design, and Johnny Depp are more important than a tight narrative that is truly wondrous to experience.
            When it comes to adaptation it is completely obvious that Burton has no interest in respecting the author’s original intents or narrative structure. Sweeney Todd replaced dark humor with grim elegance while Charlie and the Chocolate Factory focused on Willy Wonka as an eccentric rather than the heightened flaws of the children, which were done in much better fashion in the original adaptation with Gene Wilder. But don’t let that grouping of failed envisioning stop Burton from ruining not only one classic book, but three in the same fail swoop. Technically this tale is Alice returning to Wonderland (or Underland as it is apparently properly pronounced) similar to Through the Looking Glass, but everything here is drastically different than what is laid out in the books. It’s easy to manipulate your audience into thinking the bland CGI world of Wonderland is actually a great place to be especially if the real world you present is exceptionally bland. Our protagonist Alice is quite the non-corset wearing rebel who is constantly distracted by imaginary visions rather than confronting her forced situations, including marriage to a pristine moron. Escaping the incredibly awkward situation of being proposed to in front of a mass amount of people Alice follows a supposedly imaginary white rabbit with a shirt and tie into his rabbit hole, where Wonderland presents itself in typical special effects fashion. Borrowing from all three books Burton presents his version of Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There while supplanting all of the beautiful allegories (Tea Party, Chess Match, Caterpillar scene) and literary messages. Before one can begin making a classic their own they must first understand it and Burton has chosen not only to respect the original piece but not even bother with it altogether.
            So as Alice travels through the expected Wonderland Burton might have concocted we meet the familiar faces from the books along the way. However, Burton expects to make the narrative his own while he leaves your expectations of characters to be the same from the books. None of them from the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) to the Caterpillar (Alan Rickman) are ever flourished out and are merely side show spectacles to the mainstream act of Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen. Both are mildly entertaining at points but seem as though they are playing characters they have done before. Everything here isn’t anything new or original. In fact, this Wonderland is the same as every other Wonderland that has been put on the screen, but the others were better in narrative and character, which is drastically lacking in this version. This version of Wonderland is like an acid trip while having an epileptic seizure without any coherency to why the experience is important. As the film puts it, “Alice has lost much of her muchness,” and that is about as self-referential as they get. There is nothing particularly enchanting about this Wonderland, nor is Alice, who is about as tasteless as they come.
            Alice in Wonderland could have been Burton’s homage to the wonder of the imagination yet fails to even relate how the impossible can be possible to its story. In the wake of Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, which successfully references Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, it appears as though Burton has become the standard of Hollywood filmmaking rather than the experimental strange one. The one who used to take leaps away from normality now has an expected form that only works when there is an intriguing main character, such as Edward Scissorhands or Big Fish. But here there isn’t any dedication to neither narrative nor an appealing protagonist, as the final product results in flashy spectacle and simplistic humor that is quite embarrassing. Taking a story that is so marvelously original and full of opportunity and producing such a weak and poor re-envisioning of the incredibly detailed source at hand shows lazy writing and filmmaking from a director who should not only know better but should be held to a higher standard. It’s visually interesting but that can only take you so far. Once the third act comes around in Alice in Wonderland it is truly a wonder how they were able to ruin such potent original material.
            When you fail to make the characters your own amidst an adaptation that is not even close to being accurate than the film will ultimately fail to resonate beyond those who are familiar with the original tales. The truest adaptation to this date of the first book has been Disney’s classic animated version and it is baffling to see Disney produce such a ridiculous and nonsensical continuation of that particular story. Tim Burton used to be a symbol of original and daring filmmaking but this Alice in Wonderland is just more of the same, with cheap opportunities at ridiculous humor and the cliché action scene to end the film in epic fashion. Nothing here is wonderful and this wonderland just isn’t what it could be in the hands of a reasonable and non-egotistical filmmaker who can grasp and accept the original material. When Johnny Depp dances near the end of this film, a scene that reeks of pure star exploitation, it might well have been Depp dancing on Lewis Carroll’s grave because such a reckless and unfounded re-envisioning of his classic tales is disrespectful, especially coming from a director who has yet to make a film that matches that sort of brilliance.

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Recommendations: Red Riding, Fish Tank , Mystery Team

Last updated: 2010-03-05 16:42:44 by GenerationFilm

Alice in Wonderland---Anything but Wonderful

Alice in Wonderland was an overall catastrophe. The story was nothing more than snippets of the original mixed with Tim Burton. Lately his films have been less than pleasing. With Johnny Depp being such a unique actor, I was expecting him to bring something to the table. I was extremely disappointed. I usually praise acting in many of the films I review but sadly, this was just $150 million thrown down the rabbit hole-literally. Johnny Depp in this role reminded me of his work in the Willy Wonka remake. He was awkward and pale. Anne Hathaway was pathetic at attempting an English accent. It is very unlike her to take a role that doesn't show her as the vulnerable girl that finds her way. The one thing this film had plenty of was graphics! The scenery and tone of the film fit to the characters stories. Much like Avatar, Alice in Wonderland was a hyped film that turned out to be a disappointment. It still won't stop it from grossing hundreds of millions. 1 and a half out of 4 stars.

alice in wonderland

i love my job sometimes.

not to break too many hearts out there of folks that were greatly anticipating this film.  like me.  but this is far from tim burton’s best efforts.  and sometimes i just thought johnny depp was trying too hard.  we expect such flawless performances from him he may have finally flipped his lid.

take some time off johnny.  i get how you were going in and out of accents.  i get it.  yer multiple personalities.

it’s still a very entertaining performance.  johnny depp has built a fair reputation for himself and he owes it to himself to live up to it.  nah, just kidding johnny.  i’ll let ya slide.  this is still a fun movie.

i’m not sure you need to see it in 3D, but there are some really nice shots, some interesting framing and things like that that work well with the format but i always thought tim burton did a pretty good job of making it appear 3D and this is more of the same.  there are a few too many chase scenes.  i think they inserted some chase sequences after the fact to try and show off the 3D technology.

james cameron and avatar done beat ya to it.  and the story line seemed interupted to me a time or two by a chase sequence i thought we could have done without.  so, don’t waste the extra 2.50.  but you will.

anyway, this is a cool flick to see.  if you like tim burton and johnny depp you will really like this film.  it may be a bit dark for little kids but i’m thinking ten and up should get a real kick out of it.  i’m actually not sure of the rating.

it’s got a real new wave disney princess vibe going that i kinda dug.  i’m only giving it a six out of a possible ten broken tea cups because i expect so much from these guys.

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Cal Reed

Alice in Wonderland

I was hoping for more....and if not more, I was hoping it would be better. Alice in Wonderland suffered from 2 major problems for me. The first, is that it is not Alice in Wonderland. If you are going to call your movie Alice in Wonderland, then I believe you should be telling the story of Alice in Wonderland. Instead we are presented with a 19 year old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) who, as a child had a repetitive nightmare involving rabbits in waistcoats etc. Well, what do you know, she sees said rabbit whilst attending an (unknown to her) engagement party and follows it down the hole to Underland (thats right, not Wonderland) There she is informed that she is the champion of the people and must face the Jabberwocky in order to defeat the Red Queen and restore the White Queen to power! Add to that cameos of all the familiar characters (the best being the Cheshire Cat) and apparently a movie of Alice in Wonderland you have.... yes mmm (or should that be "curiouser and curiouser", possibly the hardest line ever to deliver with credibility in a film.)

My second problem was the completely and utterly distracting use of awful CGI. Crispin Glover doesn't even have his own body in more than half the scenes his is in! It was distracting to the point of pure rage. With a film like Avatar still showing, the CGI in this feature sets the technology back about 10 years. Was there a budget constraint? I am not even sure why half the things that were CG needed to be?

I should also point out that I chose to see the film in 2-D, and I don't see how the 3-D could have made any of this better.

So....I had fairly high hopes for this and instead I was presented with Tim Burton's worst film since Planet of the Apes. It is a shame that Disney would finance a film like this, when American McGee has been trying to get his Alice project based on his amazing video game retake of Alice in Wonderland off the ground for more than a decade.... well, I guess I can still hope.

Alice in Wonderland: A Whimsical Trip Down the Rabbit Hole

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up once again for this highly anticipated return to Wonderland. Acting as a sequel toAlice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Burton’s Alice in Wonderlandhas been long-awaited, not only for the dark tones and “Depp-ness” sure to permeate the film, but also because Disney’s new 3D spectacle has bumpedAvatar from 3D theatres all over the country. And as any Hot Topic store in the world can attest, people just can’t get enough of Burton and Depp films. Here’s the breakdown:
Alice (Mia Wasikowska), now 19, faces real life; the death of her father, marriage, social responsibility. But she has one more adventure in store – a return to Wonderland (actually called “Underland” by its inhabitants). Having forgotten her previous adventures, the myriad Underland characters hope Alice has returned to save them from the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her nefarious Jabberwocky, restoring the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) to the throne. With the help of a familiar cast of characters, including The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), Alice must prove her worth and save Underland.
The Monkey: The film’s greatest strengths are its cast and its humor. Every actor was perfect for their role and delivered spot-on performances. Anne Hathaway’s White Queen elicited laughs every time she “floated” on-screen, and proved she has excellent comic timing. Helen Bonham Carter almost stole the show as the bulbous-headed Red Queen, shouting “Off with their heads!” and other outlandish lines with such gusto, you just know she was enjoying every minute of it. Of course, Johnny Depp did well; his best moments were the quieter ones, as his characters sinks into madness and starts spewing some of Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical poetry with Shakespearean conviction. Mia Wasikowska held her own against the all-star cast – I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the future.
The film’s message was very empowering: Alice is never forced to save Underland, she makes the decision on her own. Similarly, once she returns to London, she gives up marriage to continue her father’s trading business (very modern of her).
The visuals were sufficiently other-worldly, and looked wonderful in 3D; however…
The Weasel: …the CGI was very “fake” looking. I realize Burton was aiming more for the “opium-laden-dream-feel” as opposed to a more realistic angle, but it’s established early on that Underland is real, making the distorted graphics a bit harder to stomach.
The story had several gaps in plot, most notably the Red and White Queens’ backstories. Why were they fighting? This seemed like a prime opportunity for Burton to expand on the Wonderland mythology, but the film fails to contribute anything substantial.
Overall, the film rode the precarious line between dark, action/adventure movie and whimsical kids’ movie – and was not wholly successful. In fact, a scene where the Dormouse plucks out the eye of the Bandersnatch seemed to come out of nowhere and made viewers sit back and wonder, “What kind of movie am I watching again? A fun kids’ movie or something darker?” It should have been much darker. The excitement generated by this film was based on the hope that Burton would bring some of his twisted creativity to an already twisted tale; however, it seems Burton was playing it safe, always pulling back from being too dark and obscure by throwing in a cartoonish character or ridiculously cliché action scene. The story was already a departure from the source material – he should have taken it one step further. (As a side note, I was hoping the movie would be closer to Frank Beddor’s The Looking Glass Wars. Not so.)
A fun adventure movie with a surprising amount of clever humor and fun 3D visuals? Yes! A truly original reinterpretation of Wonderland? Unfortunately, no.
3 Death Stars out of 5
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Last updated: 2010-03-30 13:45:58 by JediDustin

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Director: Tim Burton- (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetle Juice, Batman, Edward Scissorhonds, Batman Returns, Sleepy Hallow, Planet of the Apes, and Big Fish. (He also wrote and produced The Nightmare Before Christmas)
Writers: Linda Woolverton- (Screenplay). (Beauty and the Beast, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, The Lion King, and Mulan)
Lewis Carroll- (wrote the original Alice in Wonderland books)
Stars:
~ Mia Wasikowska- plays Alice
~ Johnny Depp- plays the Mad Hatter. (Edward Scissorhands, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Donnie Brasco, Sleepy Hallow, Blow, From Hell, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Secret Window, Finding Neverland, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s Ends, and Public Enemy)
~ Helena Bonham Carter- plays the Red Queen, (Merlin, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit, and Terminator Salvation)
~ Anne Hathaway- plays the White Queen. (Get Smart, and "The Simpsons" [T. V.])
~ Crispin Glover- plays Stayne (the Knave of Hearts). Back to the Future, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape)
~ Stephen Fry- voices the Cheshire Cat
~ Matt Lucas- voices Tweedledee/ Tweedledum
~Michael Sheen- voices the White Rabbit. (Kingdom of Heaven, and Music Within)
~ Alan Rickman- voices the Blue Caterpillar. (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Galaxy Quest)
~ Timothy Spall- voices Baynard. (The Last Samurai, and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Best Quote: Mad Hatter~ "Have I gone mad?"
Alice Kingsley~ "I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are"
Soundtrack: "Alice" performed by Avril Lavigne.
Filming Location: England, U.K.; and California, USA
Review:
How do you make Alice in Wonderland even more trippy and wacked out? You get Tim Burton to direct and Johnny Depp to play the Mad Hatter. In this movie Alice Kinglsey (Mia Wasikowska) returns to Underland and the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) has forcefully taken over from the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). Alice thinks Underland isn’t real and no one is convinced that this is the same Alice. It is a battle of good vs. evil and it depends on Alice to do what she has to do. Alice needs to prove to everyone that she is the Alice everyone expected. You have a lot of the same characters and situations in this movie and in the animated cartoon version. Alice encounters the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen). In this movie Alice also meets the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman) is a field of mushrooms. Even the tea party is returned, but the mood is much more foul. This develops certain characters such as Stayne (The Knave of Hearts) (Crispin Glover). Tweedledee/Tweedledum (Matt Lucas), and the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry). The imagery of the film has definitely got the Tim Burton signature. There are the very strange and unusual characters at the engagement party in the beginning. Then you have Underland which has a creepy look to it like what you would see in Sleepy Hallow or Beetle Juice. I think this story could only work with Tim Burton directing because of Tim Burton’s unusual creativity. Johnny Depp is perfect as the Mad Hatter and he truly brings this character to life. The make up for Mad Hatter is very cool with the orange/red hair, pale dead white face, and the green eyes of mad man that change colour when he gets angry. We actually see the reason he is called the Mad Hatter in this movie. The Red Queen with the very large head was another Tim Burton staple. I did not think the 3D was very good and I did not notice anything special about it. I think it would have been the same if it were just 2D. The song "Alice" by Avril Lavigne is not that good either it is not a song that sticks in your mind for too long, but besides these minor flaws I really like this movie. It is definitely a movie you want to see on the big screen. I have seen almost Tim Burton Movie and I can say that fans will be happy with what he did with this story. It is very cool that France gave Tim Burton the honour of being named in the order of Arts and Letters. When someone receives something like this, you know that they are doing something right. Alice in Wonderland marks the seventh time Tim Burton and Johnny Depp has worked together. This is also the fifth time Tim Burton and wife Helena Bonham Carter have worked together. This movie is based on the book originally written by the late Lewis Carroll. This is a place I have known for all of my 22-year old life and to see it brought to life by some of my favourite filmakers is just one of the greatest things. I can’t wait to see what Tim Burton does next and I know it will be as original and creative as Tim Burton always is.
Rated: PG (fantasy action/ violence and a smoking caterpillar).
4/5

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

This is not the Alice in Wonderland we’re all familiar with. Gone is the happy-go-lucky, magical Wonderland, and in its place is a dark, gloomy place called Underland. Having said that, though, this is a Tim Burton film, so you know there is plenty of fantastical whimsy to be had.
Lots of hype surrounded this film, pretty much from the moment it was announced. I was a bit skeptical about it until I saw some early shots.
The good…Johnny Depp was obviously the selling point for this picture. I can’t argue with that, but I’m more excited that he learned a new accent. Using Jack Sparrow’s accent for all his characters was getting old. I’ve read some reviews that said that Helena Bonham Carter stole the show. Eh…not for me. Sure, Depp wasn’t as big a deal as they made him out ot be, but Anne Hathaway’s over the top White Queen stole the show, in my opinion. Stephen Fry’s voicing of the Cheshire Cat really sold me on the character. He brought that calm and coolness that Cheshire Cat needs. Alan Rickman as the wise caterpillar was pretty good, but I kind of wish he had more screentime. The look of Underland, especially the two castles and the battlefield is vintage Burton. You don’ get much better than those. The Jabberwocky may be the best looking creature in the film. He has a mix of Norse dragon and Chinese dragon with a hint of originality. Nice touch!
The bad…the non Underland parts. I realize that you needed these bookends to set up the story, and that’s fine and dandy, but they were just too long, especially the opening. Honestly, what did it serve to give us the back story of her father? I didn’t understand the reasoning behind this. I wasn’t too crazy with the actress who played Alice, Mia Wasikowska. At one point uring the film, I was telling myself they could have just let Anne Hathaway do it, then she blew me away with her portrayal of the White Queen, but Wasikokwska just didn’t inspire me. She may look like a slightly prettier version of  Tilda Swinton, but she doesn’t have half her talent. Tim Burton films are known for their contrasting of bright, exuberant colors over a slightly dark tone which equals a fun, entertaining film, however, Alice in Wonderland seems…normal. The fantasy and everything that is usually associated with these stories is almost gone and this is almost just a fancy sci-fi flick.
I saw this in 3D and have to say that it was half worth it and half not. I say that because while the effects looked cool, there was nothing that just screamed out to me that this had to be seen in 3D.
What is the final verdict of this film? Well, the hype is a bit much, but it is not unfounded. It is very good and entertaining, though not as good as it could/should be. It is infinitely more entertaining that SyFy crap that aired a few months back, Alice, then again almost anything could accomplish that feat. So, should you see this? I’m not going to say you should spend your last $8 (or however much it is where you live) on this, or that you should shell out the extra couple of bucks for the 3D experience, but it is worth seeing in theaters, but I just don’t think you’ll miss much by waiting for the DVD in a few months. Either way, it still is worth watching.

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Alice In Hinterland

With its astonishing first weekend gross of $116m in the US - the biggest March, 3D and IMAX openings ever - criticism of "Alice In Wonderland" seems pointless. It's a big financial hit. Mission accomplished. Move on, nothing to see here. nullp style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px;"nullSadly, the millions racked up in box-office neatly obscure the fact that "Alice" is a dull, drab movie, leeched of even more colour when viewed through 3D glasses. But more of that later.

<p style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px;">Alice is a bizarre mash-up of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" and "Through The Looking Glass", whilst pretending to be a sequel to both. A grown up Alice disappears once more down the rabbit-hole and then proceeds to have roughly the same adventures she had before - only selective amnesia prevents her from remembering what to do. Curiouser and curiouser, indeed.

<p style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px;">It's a regrettable drop in quality from director Tim Burton, hot from his red-in-tooth-and-claw-and-bloodbaths, "Sweeney Todd". There are some highlights: the art direction is magnificent and the special effects are largely seamless (apart from the bizarre sight of Crispin Glover's head on top of a CGI body for no good reason). Danny Elfman's provides a magical score and there is an appropriately sleek performance from Stephen Fry as the voice of the Cheshire Cat. However, this is offset by flat acting from Mia Wasikowska as Alice and a patchwork script by Linda Woolverton. that lazily rearranges all the key scenes from the books in a different order and then dares to call itself a sequel. Johnny Depp...well, his multiple-personality disordered Mad Hatter is given far too much screen time and his frequent switches in dialect hobble any attempt to build a sympathetic character.

<p style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px;">"Alice" is being heavily promoted as a 3D experience...which is ironic, as it wasn't actually filmed in 3D to begin with. In a process that James Cameron rightly despises, a 2D film is amended in post-production to give a faux-3D look - essentially, it's digital decoupage. Imagine those lenticular "3D" postcards you can buy blown up to cinema-screen size and you get the idea. It's a cheat and so "Alice" never pops off the screen like "Avatar" or "A Christmas Carol" - save your money and see the (cheaper) 2D version. The partially-opaque 3D glasses also rob the film of its colour - which in the muddy brown and grey world of Wonderland, takes away when there wasn't much to start with.

<p style="margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px;">As has been widely reported, "Alice" will be available on DVD and Blu-ray in less than three months, an extremely rapid turnaround for a major movie. Ironically, that fact is more breathtaking than anything in the film itself.

Alice In Wonderland

All respect to Johnny Depp. Other than that, I feel like this Disney  Classic was ruined by turning it into a real(ish)-life take on the book  by Lewis Carrol. Very similar to the cartoon version, the 2010 film  failed to make an impact. If not for our advancements in computer  technology, there would not be too much to say about this film. In an  attempt to make the film more adult-friendly, Tim Burton tried to give  the story a fairly darker edge and included some "other-worldly"  characters to roam through this fantasy land.
I am sure all who are  reading this know the story of Alice's adventures in Wonderland: the  Cheshire Cat, The Red Queen, The White Queen, Blue Caterpillar, Mad  Hatter (Depp) and so on. I should lay out a disclaimer about how I am  fairly skiddish when it comes to animation and/or a combination of  "real" and "CGI". I simply am just not a fan. So, knowing that, there is  possibly an unfair balance on what I say about the film since MOSTLY  everything of the film was enhanced. The story was the same so if you  have seen the original, you MAY  just be good with that. However,  I  know everyone will still want to go see Johnny Depp play another "crazy"  role which is becoming his forte. I still like him in Donnie Brasco.

My  Elementary Grading Scale: Progressing Satisfactorily
1-10: 6.5

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Alice In Wonderland

My knowledge of Lewis Carroll pretty much ends after a couple of TV movies and an animated disney film. I've never read the books by Carroll and I'm far from a purist. I came into director Tim Burton's movie armed only with knowledge based on foggy memories and "pop-culture osmosis". So apply that however you will as you consider my review.

Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" is not a remake or just an alternative take on the classic story. It is a sequel of sorts. Alice has been to Wonderland before as a child, but does not remember. And now, once again under pressure to conform to the aristocratic culture around her, Alice finds herself tumbling down the rabbit hole to revisit a strange dreamlike reality.

I've been a fan of Tim Burton for many years and this movie is quite possibly his most exotically beautiful vision yet. Colorful, yet dreary, beautiful yet twisted. There is so much visual imagination poured into this movie that it almost bursts out of the screen. (And no, I did not see it in 3-D.) I wanted to live in this world and interact with these characters.

Performances were wonderful throughout. Johnny Depp is always a standout with no exception here. His Mad Hatter was both goofy and dark. There is always something deeper going on behind those digitally magnified eyes. Helena Bonham Carter was funny, fierce and unpredictable as the Red Queen. Crispin Glover was suitably creepy, though I get the feeling his full potential was left untapped in this movie. (Check out the movie "Willard")

Although this movie sits comfortably in the category of "family film", it does have some darkness and violence to it. Sword and sorcery fans will really dig a battle again a dragon near the end of the movie. I'd love to see what Burton could do making a dark fantasy flick for adults!

So many elements in this film come together so well that it's a shame to point out the weak areas.

First off, is the "Alice returns" story element. This is a very clear subplot that ultimately serves no unique purpose. With a few minor tweaks near the end of the story, this plot element could have been left out completely. I would have preferred a "Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland" that was a re-imagining of the original story, rather than a new vision that still tries to keep continuity with the original. Time was spent on this story point that could have been put to good use elsewhere. Namely, in character development.

With no exception I can think of, this movie contains only 2-dimensional characters who stick to their schtick from beginning to end. Granted, this is what you would expect from a children's story and from the dreamlike world created by Lewis Caroll. But the performances are so good in this movie that subtext and deeper characterization is often presented, but without a script to follow through with.

It is also sometimes hard to understand what is being said. Caroll's poems and stories are known for incorporating nonsense words, and this is probably the case in the instances that I assumed poor diction on the part of the actors. But I can't be sure. And these unintelligible lines that pop up now and then are said with such conviction and subtext that I feels as though I've missed understanding or hearing something that may have been very important to the story. When available on DVD/Blu-ray, I'd recommend hitting that "subtitles" button.

Thematically, this is a traditional "good versus evil" story with a dose of "nonconformity", but these themes aren't dealt with in a compelling way and you probably won't be led to ponder anything of deep value after seeing this movie.

This is a great movie in many respects that I will one day add to my collection. It will be near the top of the list when my son is old enough for dark fantasy but too young for "Lord Of The Rings". Until then I doubt I'll think about it much.

Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 5.5/10

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