Thanks for checking out our Alice in Wonderland review.
Genre: Fantasy
Directed by: Tim Burton
Staring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman
Released: March 5, 2010
THE GENERAL IDEA
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.
THE GOOD
This film is a visual masterpiece. Seriously eyecatching. Tim Burton is stereotyped for going with bleak dark tones and this is the virtual opposite of all that. Where there needs to be darkness to illustrate a mood, its still used but this is eyecandy that goes beyond seeing.
Everything in Wonderland – sorry Underland (Alice misnamed it on her first visit) is tweaked. Even the most human looking of characters is somewhat altered, from Depp’s unreal eyes to Stayne’s (Crispin Glover) unnatural lanky form. It just adds a tiny element of fantasy to this unreal world that is populated already by unreal things. Alice is the only contstant “normal” in the visual world.
You can’t stop yourself from just “looking around” even when other things are going on.
And the characters are all great. Tweedle Dee and Dum are not irritating, but still idiots. The Red Queen is irrational, but not annoying. The Hatter is mad without being obnoxious (Depp nails it again). There is a careful balance in all the characters that make them impact without over doing it.
And Mia Wasikowska? Careful. You will fall in love with her. Maybe not Claire Danes magical, but this girl is infectious. In the trailers and images it didn’t look so, which worried me about this film, but she is just so likable. She is truly a person that is best experienced to grasp her full scope. You see a photo and she’s pretty, but after experiencing her in character, that same photo suddenly has more appeal.
And the creature designs are great and effects are incredible. Everything in this other world is just so powerful it is an experience
THE BAD
I just love Anne Hathaway. A natural beauty that doesn’t have to try too hard, just seems to be trying too hard here. Her “White Queen” is supposed to be the graceful elegant overthrown former queen of Underland, which her sister the Red Queen hates for her pure beauty and ability to command undying loyalty for her beauty. Hathaway was awkwardly unattractive in this. Even with her pale white features and beautiful dress, the constant “look at me, I am floating” gestures just seem empty and “put on”. And the makeup designers really should have opted against the contrasting lips and brows, because it makes her look rediculous.
Serously, she takes something away from this film where EVERYTHING sucks you in.
OVERALL
This is one of those films where it gels as a whole and the very experience leaves you energized walking out of the theater. Seriously a great movie even with its one glaring flaw (for me)
There is also a scene near the end where Alice remembers her first visit to Underland, and its almost like looking at the original Disney animated feature film scene for scene, almost hinting that this is a true sequel to that movie.
I give Alice in Wonderland a 9 out of 10
