Phenryss

(2012-04-28 19:34:40)

Fun but...eh...

I was prepared to love this movie. I love Burton and I am a Depp fantoo...but it just left me feeling...meh. It's fun, kinda shut yourbrain off and enjoy the ride...but not much else.I liked the choices in actors, Depp, Bonham-Carter, Rickman and Fry alldid good. Just left me a little flat on the whole.I guess I was expecting more. Maybe if it had been all CG orAnimatronics, it would have worked better. I did not see the 3D version. I honestly think 3D needs to go awayagain for a bit. Oh well.

Jackson Booth-Millard

(2012-04-28 08:03:25)

Alice in Wonderland

When I saw director Tim Burton was going to bring us another version ofthe classic story from the Lewis Carroll books, again made by the WaltDisney Studios, I was very excited. Basically it is combining theoriginal first story Adventures in, and combining it, well stickingmuch closely to the second story, Through the Looking Glass. Alice (MiaWasikowska) is nineteen years old, and after being proposed to by asupposed suitor, she falls into the magic rabbit hole following theWhite Rabbit (Michael Sheen). The characters you may remember welldon't believe her to be the Alice they had in "Underland" before, andthe only thing she knows is that she has been there in her dreams. Soshe meets up with the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), and Tweedledee andTweedledum (both Matt Lucas) who introduce the world she apparentlydoes not remember. To confirm her identity she has to see the BlueCaterpillar (Alan Rickman), before dropping to the tea party of the MadHatter (Golden Globe nominated Johnny Depp), with the Dormouse (BarbaraWindsor) and the March Hare (Paul Whitehouse). Still unsure, Aliceknows when he is caught that she must rescue the Mad Hatter from theclutches of the Red Queen of Hearts (Helena Bonham Carter), with herbig head and big temper. She is looking for Alice, as she is the onlyone, according to a prophecy, that can put Underland back to normal.Thankfully the Queen doesn't recognise Alice, who gets away to go andsee the true ruler of the land, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), andthis by the way is after Alice recalls her dreams being memories. Soshe is the chosen one to save Underland, and she is part of the armygoing against the Queen, Stayne the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover)and the army (or deck) of card soldiers. But the big test Alice facesis defeating the Jabberwocky (Sir Christopher Lee) as the prophecysays, and she does this, and the White Queen gets her crown. So thevillains are defeated, the Mad Hatter and all of the characters aresaved, and Alice goes back tot eh real world, turning down thatmarriage proposal. Also starring Michael Gough as the Dodo Bird,Timothy Spall as Bayard, Tim Pigott-Smith as Lord Ascot, GeraldineJames as Lady Ascot, Imelda Staunton as Tall Flower Faces andShakespeare in Love's Jim Carter as the Executioner. There's no denyingDepp and Carter stand out as the best characters, the special effectsand costumes are fantastic, the 3D does add a little depth (but notmuch), and Burton is a good choice for director, but overall I was abit disappointed, it is certainly a fantasy adventure worth a gothough. It won the Oscars for Best Art Direction and Best CostumeDesign, and it was nominated for Best Visual Effects, it won the BAFTAsfor Best Costume Design and Best Make Up/Hair, and it was nominated theAnthony Asquith Award for Film Music for Danny Elfman, Best SpecialVisual Effects and Best Production Design, and it was nominated theGolden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and BestOriginal Score. Okay!

DailyScrawl

(2012-04-26 21:48:59)

Verdict: Lacking in muchness

Tim Burton's 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland was full of surprisesfor me. My first surprise was that it isn't a modern adaptation ofAlice in Wonderland, it's a Hollywood sequel. This Alice is 19 yearsold and makes her second foray into Wonderland in this movie. My secondsurprise was that I was watching an action movie that has as muchresemblance to C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" as itdoes to Lewis Carroll's original story. Rather than meandering around anonsensical Wonderland in the spirit of curiosity and discovery, thisAlice is given a very straightforward (and bizarre) "mission" rightfrom the start.In other words, there's an Alice in this story, and a Wonderland too.But this isn't The Alice in Wonderland. It's Hollywood's.OverviewTry, try, try as I might, I couldn't appreciate much about Tim Burton'sspin-off version beyond the visual extravaganza. The plot was toosimplistic and straight-forward. Each character is clearly painted aseither good or bad (well, white or red, in this case). Alice is lackingin depth of character. Johnny Depp's unpredictability has become sopredictable it's not fun anymore. The nonsensical wit and charm ofCarroll's original have been all but removed. But is it a bad movie? Isit not worth seeing in theaters? I'm not so sure about that. It has tworedeeming qualities: It's visually spectacular, and what Burton wasattempting to achieve with this movie is there, it's only been buriedunder the other aforementioned weaknesses.VisionWonderland is amazing to gaze upon, and this is probably the mostbizarre interpretation of it to date. That's no small achievement andmay be enough justification for some to see the movie in theaters. Itdoesn't feel particularly real, however. It has nothing to do with thespecial effects—they're tremendous. Instead I chalk this up largely tothe small cast of characters, which becomes particularly unbelievablearound the climax of the movie, where a large crowd would be expected.Speaking of vision, I can see what Burton was attempting to do withthis movie. He wanted to build a babushka doll of illusions, each onebeing a new surprise. The purpose of the event in the beginning of themovie, a secret behind Alice's friend's marriage, the nature of thisWonderland (compared with the audience's traditional, childishconception of it), the truth behind the Red Queen's grotesque court…all not what they appear to be at the onset, and surprises to eitherAlice or the audience. In my humble opinion, however, this doesn'tquite come across during the watching. I didn't come to see his"vision" until writing this review, and the only satisfaction it'sgiven me is that I don't have to completely pan this film. Burton justdidn't take it far enough to make it remarkable.I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that someone will read this review,watch the movie, and enjoy it because they know what to expect and cansee that Burton at least tried to add dimension to his work.OriginsLewis Carroll's original novel is best known for being "literarynonsense," and in my opinion the value of such nonsense is that itlightheartedly calls into question our preconceptions about "logic" andcommon sense. Regardless of what was done to the plot, I was optimisticthat this unintelligible intelligence would be carried over into thisnew rendition. I was wrong, and am hence terribly bummed.I recommend anyone with a curiosity toward Wonderland read the originalnovel. Also, the 1951 animated Disney version is dated (it's over halfa century old, after all), but it's still worth giving a try.How to enjoy this movie:* Pretend you're going to watch a strange mish-mash of The Chroniclesof Narnia and Alice in Wonderland. You won't have to pretend very hardonce you're in the theater.* Soak up all the 3D, computer generated goodness.* Don't expect too much more than your run of the mill Hollywood fairytale.Weak points:* The plot was too simplistic and straight-forward.* Each character is painted as clearly either good or bad (white orred, in this case, I suppose).* Alice is lacking in depth of character.* The nonsensical wit and charm of Carroll's original have been all butremoved, to be replaced with a handful of silly words. This one hurtthe most for me.

Charles Koplinski

(2012-04-26 00:21:51)

Alice, a wonder to behold, but cold.

Lou Lumenick

(2012-04-23 17:03:53)

Burton, one of the great visual artists in Hollywood history, is incapable of making an uninteresting movie. Still, I'm not looking forward to the sequel promised in the last scene.

Sukhitha Jayathilake

(2012-04-23 01:01:43)

Alice in disappointment.

Hugely anticipated movie of 2010. But My hopes were crushed withinhalfway into the movie.Alice in wonderland is about a adolescent Alice, who twirls down therabbit hole once again. At first the story seems to be following on thepath of the actual book. But It turns in to a adventure story revolvingaround Alice who turns out to be a knight in shining armor. All happyending aside, I think it's rather bull.I haven't read the actual book by Lewis carol actually. But I know thestory line of Alice in wonderland by watching some versions of it onTV. Once I watched a boring musical version and later I saw a kind of along movie version which was actually quite good. The real story isreally enchanting. It has all the weird aspects a dream should have.Actually Lewis Carol is a genius for a coming up with such a story ofwonder and imagination so long ago. Alice in wonderland has beenreferred in many books and movies which involves imagination andrealization like The Matrix. And one would say if a movie is made aboutAlice no other director would suit more than Tim Burton who came upwith similar masterpieces like Sweeny Todd, Edward Scissorhands(Haven't watched it yet) and the corpse bride. No wonder this was somuch anticipated. And it is a wonder that this movie got so muchscrewed up.First why did the screenwriter attempt such child's play with thebrilliant seed story. She had completely screwed it up and made it tosomething worthless like The Chronicles of Narnia. The CGI looks quiteconvincing but even the makers has screwed up that also in creating thetall character of Stayne. He looks so twitchy. The dialogs and thewriting is most to blame. There's no chemistry between dialogs orbetween characters and scenes, also no magic, no wonder and no flow, asprevious Tim Burton pieces had. Instead they are so mediocre and empty.And why is the character of the mad hatter so screwed up? Instead ofbeing MAD and frankly awesome, he acts as an annoying, dramatic andthoughtful SOB that got on my nerves so much. (Shame on Johnny Depp!). Really the renowned cast would be capable of a better job. At least theheroine, although being so weary eyed, makes a good impression. (Ormaybe it's just the wardrobe of her.) 'scoffs' Finally It all finishes off with a lame song which really sums up themovie : Total failure.

theredmare

(2012-04-13 17:24:52)

Quite a pleasant night out.

Having read a less than enthusiastic review of the film, I wasn'texpecting all that much. Though the reviewer did say that if you were afan of Tim Burton, you'd be in first line waiting, and I suppose he wasright in that.When I went to buy my ticket, I was given glasses and realised it wasin 3D! Didn't know this. Let me get this straight right now, if I hadseen this before Avatar, I'd have wowed, but seeing it after, it mademe realise the 3D effects were quite simplistic and I have now realisedwhat a standard Cameron actually set. The film has obviously a budgetmuch less than Avatar had, and a lot of corners have had to be cut. The3D is indeed much less tooled, and, while it was nice (I think 3Dparticularly suits fantasy), it is not essential to see it this way,and 2D would serve the film quite well too. Let's get the bad bits overfirst: The CGI characters were cheap looking and some of them downrightbad (Bayard, the horses); the CGI budget was blown on the Jabberwocky,who does deliver, in passing.Burton obviously did not want to make another remake of Alice, so hegot the idea to make her go back to Wonderland as an 18 year old; theside-effects of this is that it really feels like a sequel - Alice, theReturn - and we know how much worse sequels are from the word go,probably because a story ought to finish with "and they lived happilyever after" and disturbing the dust afterwards feels contrived. So thatwhen Alice arrives in Wonderland, we are subjected to a too long andtedious rehash and representation of all the characters. Burton mighthave been better off just doing something more different, rather thanhaving to resume the first story in the first half of the film, whichtakes a while then to take off properly.Alice is then 18, her father has died, and she is a wilfully delightfuloriginal girl, who daydreams all the time. She is invited to a grandball, where her suitor, a young noble with digestive troubles, proposesto her. But Alice has seen the rabbit in the garden and flees to followhim, and go back to Wonderland, of which she has all forgotten about.In Wonderland, the red queen has overthrown the white queen and rulesover beasts and men in a desolate kingdom. Alice is the promised onewho can defeat the jabberwocky, dragony type monster who helped the redqueen take over. She meets all her old friends and reluctantly embarkson this quest.Once we've been reintroduced to all the characters, the story finallytakes off. Helena Bonham Carter is a villain in the class of BasilRathbone, Johnny Depp slowly takes over the whole show and Aliceherself is an absolute joy. Stephen Fry as the Cheshire cat is simplybrilliant. The other characters are somewhat blander, and some of themtotally forgettable. (Alan Rickman as the caterpillar is of coursefantastic, but he only appears to deliver bits of wisdom here and thereand is not made the most of) My feeling throughout the whole thing wasthat Tim Burton couldn't make up his mind if he wanted a child's filmor an adult film, and it veers from one to the other constantly,without much consistence. This is a shame. Disney produced the film,and it does feel as if Terry Gilliam had been taken over by Walt in aweird satanic internal struggle. Indeed there is a smattering of Pythonhumour as well, and the crowd laughed a few times out loud. Once Ilaughed out loud myself, and I can't remember when that happened lastin a cinema. 2/3rd of the way, I finally was totally engrossed in thestory, Johnny Depp was growing exponentially in his role (even thoughhis Scottish accent is shaky in places and even though it isn't allthat different from Jack Sparrow to start with), and it ended in atotal success (The epilogue might not have been entirely necessary -but Disneys and children and Hollywood must).The general atmosphere of Wonderland was quite to very good, even withthe budget obvious CGI limitations and it definitely had a Gilliam feelto it (well, it's Burton, isn't it), that fantasy tang, that I alwaysfailed to see in LOTR the movie* (which does look like randomleather-clad dudes and trees walking across New-Zealand, let's face it.Actually, except that scene with Arwen at Aragorn's grave). It'sprobably the same bluey filter they use in the Guinness ads, and I lovethe feel of it. I thought the final confrontation was great. I wonderis Weta involved, or is John Howe involved, because it did remind me ofFinarfin vs Morgoth (or St George vs. the dragon) *the white queen'scastle is very reminiscent of Rivendell I must say.So, for all its faults, I did enjoy the film very much and would goagain, if only for Johnny Depp, who is disturbingly and magneticallyattractive, even as a deformed fool.

(2012-04-13 14:32:06)

Too Weird

This review is from: Alice in Wonderland (DVD) This is just too weird for words.... I didn't care for it. More wasted money. I hate movie theaters, but wish I had rented this one from the library.

(2012-04-11 02:49:40)

traffic lights are more entertaining

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton teaming on a childhood favorite... sounds promising. Not so much. I thought it was a snore fest in bright colors. After about an hour I actually stopped the movie and sent it back to netflix thanful that I hadn't paid to see this in a theatre. The only good thing about this movie is the song "Her name is Alice" by Shinedown. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else to see or waste their time with.

(2012-04-10 08:16:36)

Alice returns to Wonderland

If you're looking for a modern version of the original tale Alice in Wonderland, you won't find it here. Now, if you're no longer familiar with the fable, you might want to flip through the novel version to help you through. This movie should be called Alice Returns to Wonderland (at age 19, obviously with amnesia about her journey there as a 7 year old) or simply ALICE, who is still as mouthy and defiant as the novel-protagonist. But definitely not as cute.Young children who have never seen the Disney version or read the Disney book will surely be confused by the complicated poetry (stanzas from Lewis Caroll's "Jabberwocky" thrown in to assure everyone that a battle with the monstrous Jabberwock is coming up) and other squeeze-ins that don't really seem to make much sense to a young viewer. Most kids from 3-7 might want to break it down to this question..is the red Queen bad? There is also a white queen, poorly played by Anne Hathaway. The white queen tries to make herself appear feminine and ethereal but spoofs with her pretentious swanning around(and what's with the awful Goth lipstick?) I will say the costuming was superb but the makeup and wigs, just amatuerish. Even Mad Hatter's orange eyebrows looked glued on.The movie also gives Johnny Depp, the Mad Hatter (previously a minor though memorable character in the original book), a fleshy and admirable role. In the original, he's gross in his troll like ugliness with no interest in Alice whatsoever. In this "sequel" he is colourful, attractive and charmingly persuasive of Alice's help..she is after all the 'one' to slay the Jabberwock and return their Queer-dom to the white queen. True Hollywood style, there's a strange 'attraction' between Hatter and Alice, who has just turned down her a wedding proposal back on Earth.If I can stretch my interpretation here...one of the later scenes paints Alice as some sort of Joan of Arc venturing to slay the Jabberwock dragon against the Red Queen (who I see as a reference to Queen Elizabeth I). The white queen dare I say was an allusion to her half-sister Mary Queen of Scots.On a final note Alice in Wonderland, the original was silly, bizarre but oddly witty. Tim Burton's rendering of Alice in the Future is as well bizarre but macabre (chopped off human heads floating in the castle moat that Alice has to step on to enter the red queen's castle). Not to mention LOUD! Bring ear plugs for the kids.

Stampsfightclub

(2012-04-07 11:49:33)

A great idea misguided

Alice (Wasikowska) flees an important party and chases a rabbit down arabbit hole where she emerges in Wonderland, where she witnesses manystrange things.The build up to this film's release at the beginning of March was thatTim Burton was still perfecting it and Odeon was refusing to screen itbecause of the too quick to DVD release date. So far from perfect mediavibe, the film was to no surprise big at the box office but has sharedvarious attitudes of like and dislikes.Based on Lewis Carroll's novels, Alice in Wonderland has never beentackled to its true potential according to visionary director TimBurton. So taking that in mind, this is by far a more darker and morepersonally involved story of imagination and forced reality to manyother depictions, particularly Disney's in the 1950's.Opening with a young Alice having a bad dream and her father conversingwith colleagues there is a more formal attitude to proceedings and whenthe film shunts forward many years to a surprise engagement party thereis a feeling of, dare I say, convention and boredom, usually notpresent in a Burton film.When however the white rabbit emerges there is hope and when Alicetakes her tumble down the hole we can foresee Burton's dark sidestarting to emerge. Sadly, what is to follow feels a bit normal andnothing unique for the director.The "eat me" and "drink me" sequence doesn't possess that magic theDisney film generated so easily, with a bored looking Wasikowskagrowing and shrinking and when things start to click and the dooropens, there is too heavy hyperbole on darkness.Burton of course has had a career spun from putting a dark spin onlight ideas and events. Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare beforeChristmas spring to mind and applying that idea to Carroll's book,already dark with imagination seemed a sure winner. But there is toomuch detail and an attempt to justify fan's requirements for darknessrather than the story's own portrayal.Of course this new wave of 3D hype gives the film an experimental feeland though I saw the 2D version, it would be hard to imagine howdifferent it would be otherwise. The effects are outstanding, noquestion, but the use of them for the story's context feels heavy andindecent.This is further established through the red queen's head, theridiculous dormouse and the oddball styling of the Tweedles.However the film does contain numerous spurts of enjoyment. Depp, asper usual, is visionary of his character, the final battle sequence iswell staged and Anne Hathaway gives a gorgeous wispy gentle sweep tothe white queen.Whilst there are moments of technological stage brilliance there is nobalance with the story's too heavy script with too many ideas andimaginations and is a case of a great idea misguided.

Christian Toto

(2012-04-07 01:57:36)

This Alice is more Ripley, or Lara Croft, than timeless story heroine.

Romarth

(2012-04-04 22:11:54)

Why, Tim Burton?

If there's one filmmaker working today whose style is utterlyunmistakable, it's Tim Burton. Since his debut, he's proudly andconsistently upheld his many visual and metaphysical tropes with TLC.These tenets include: ostentatious design and execution of thedelectably twisted and dark kind, saccharine sentimentality (withperhaps the exception of Sweeney Todd), and a dramatis personae ofirascible characters both one with his darkness and yet completelyunaware of it. But Burton's self-aware devotion to this Formula* haspalliated his once-fresh perspective, familiarity subsequently turningodd and unconventional into a recycled bore and, thus, the completeopposite. The biggest offender of this cumbersome rehashing is thedirector's latest, a highly ambitious undertaking: a live-actionadaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, Alice in Wonderland.We start off with the mandatory flashback to the youth of our heroine,the eponymous Alice. Her ambitious father (Marton Csokas) gallantlyinterrupts an important meeting to tend to his post-nightmare daughter.She proceeds to describe her bad dream, foreshadowing her comingadventures in Wonderland, and questions her own sanity. Her fatherreplies (and I'm paraphrasing): "Yes, you're mad. But the best peopleare." It's a nice sentiment, and one that fittingly pertains with thestatus quo evident here. It's almost distraction enough from thehilariously bad performance given by the ever-mugging Csokas. It's abrief turn, which makes the efficacy of his awfulness all the moresurprising.Years later, Alice (listless newcomer Mia Wasikowska) is nineteen anddoomed to an arranged marriage to a complete stiff. The ensuing eventsare banalities sparse in consequence, necessary to increase the wonderof Wonderland by contrast, but dull nonetheless. Ironically, the titlesetting is surprisingly unimaginative. Burton's Wonderland is one ofgeneric outlandishness; large, colorful flora, discolored skies of adismal murk, and vast landscapes defined by one prominent topographicalfeature. The visual effects are embarrassingly unconvincing, and the3-D does little to help; as always, the newfound cinematic dimension ismerely a gimmick, a nicety, and here it once again proves that we stillhave quite a long way to go before the technique effects an audienceviscerally. Obvious and absent the awe and immersion that it's directorpresence suggests and should guarantee, Wonderland's uninspired designis another victim of the extenuation of the Burton Formula, and themovie's disappointing lack of scope and half-realization.Tonally, Alice in Wonderland is dead. It's neither comedic nordramatic, due to an absence of intentional humor and urgency,respectively, and with the pacing of a snail, this renders the wholeexperience quite drab. Now, I'm sure the acidic eccentricities ofCarroll and Burton sounds a treat, yes? Sadly, Burton and screenwriterLinda Woolverton only inherit the concept and characters of Carroll'slegendarium, opting instead to incorporate their own story. Whatfollows is a predictable hybrid of the established Wonderland scribes,absent the warmth and wit. Alice arrives in the mystical world, her"destiny" (and the movie's climax) is hastily affirmed, and thuseverything beforehand feels like filler. Impending peril is intended togrip the story (what with the omnipresent tyranny of Helena BonhamCarter's Red Queen), but last-minute and inconceivable resolutionswhenever danger arises dissipates the drama.The cast lend some help in the way of salvaging things. Hathaway isunderused, but nails the delicate-nature of the White Queen. There'salso an abundance of British character actors at the movie's disposal.Like Harry Potter, it's a roll-call of workaday thespians: Stephen Fry(Cheshire Cat, actually acting, not just reading lines), Michael Sheen(White Rabbit, his voice unrecognizable, as usual), Christopher Lee(Jabberwocky, two lines of utter captivation), Timothy Spall (theBloodhound, slowly becoming a Burton affiliate), Alan Rickman(Caterpillar, simply perfect), etc. Each could have literally phoned intheir performances, but no doubt the gravity and beloved stature ofCarroll's work was enough to compel faithfulness. They're what keepsproceedings afloat and only they encapsulate the spirit of thematerial.Needless to say, the show is stolen by Helena Bonham Carter. Thrustingherself wholeheartedly into the role of the Red Queen, she's clearlyhaving a ball here. Bonham Carter invests in the part, going far andbeyond the call of duty, turning a thin antagonist into a well-honedcharacter; the Red Queen is greedy, selfish, nefarious, but also naive,and often comes across as someone burdened with long-existinginsecurities (the writing conveys this, but Bonham Carter expands uponwhat is merely hinted at). Her childish totalitarianism makes for adiverting and inoffensive baddie, and also serves as the main source ofthe movie's genuine laughs.That other staple of Burton cinema, Johnny Depp, is on hands here,donning a Carrot Top wig to play one of Carroll's most immortal andrecognizable creations, the Mad Hatter. On the capricious and whimsicalside of the Depp spectrum instead of stoic and near-comatose, this turnis another addition to the equally-wearing output of a man dubiouslyrevered for versatility. I don't mean to sound irreverent, as Depp is atalented actor, but it's been seven years since his last trulyimpressive performance, and his need to play characters ofsubstance-less recondite is a waste of his time. Here, he's not quiteteeth-grating, but he's still not exactly as fun as he could be. LikeBonham Carter, he attempts obliqueness, here by gauging the Hatter'sglee on a trippy meter of eccentric and downright maniacal depending onthe situation at hand. It's a minor victory for character depth, butit's a shame Depp insists on delivering a large portion of his lines inan unintelligible Scottish accent.Alice in Wonderland is bad. In fact, I'm shocked at just how much Idislike it. I hate to condemn a movie for primarily this alone, but mybiggest problem with it is that it's boring. Burton will undoubtedlybenefit from immediately distancing himself from adaptations and theFormula.

Joe Lozito

(2012-04-04 11:41:37)

The most wondrous thing about director Tim Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll classic is how lacking in wonder it all is.

(2012-04-03 06:03:54)

As usual, Disney is not for the young.

This is actually a sequal to the original "Disney" animated film. If you have read the book, you know how whitewashed some of these can be. NOT THIS! They rate it PG, and that is pushing. I'd say PG-13 with no issue. It shows a changed venue in Wonderland, and changed characters. That said, I am a regular adult fantasy reader, and while not as bloody, it is superior to the "lord of the rings". Both the characters, and special effects are supurb, and I highly recommend it. Not, however, for young children.

doctor301

(2012-04-02 21:29:24)

One of the most enjoyable worlds to enter, that'll having you returning asap.

Alice In Wonderland (2010) Review By Dylan(http://www.dylanreviews.ning.com) Alice in wonderland, a timeless talenow in the hands of director Tim Burton (Willie Wonka, Edward Scissorhands) brings his usual suspects Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Carrabian,Willie Wonka) and Helena Bonham Carter (Harry Potter, Corpse Bride)along with Anne Hathaway (Valentines Day, Get Smart) and new upcomingAussie Actress Mia Wasikowska (Defiance, Rogue) to the table to bringhis vision of the tale to the big screen, also in 3D. The storypresumes mostly you know the basic tale of Alice In Wonderland andstars 13 years after her original adventure where she has lost allmemory of ever having going to wonderland in the first place. Thissequel is not to be confused with Lewis Carrol's actually sequel to hisoriginal Alice In The Wonderland tale, this follows its own path andstory written by Linda Woolverton (The Lion King, Beauty & The Beast)Upon entering wonderland Alice will meet usual characters like thewhite rabbit (Michael Sheen), Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas)along with The Mad hatter, the hair (Paul Whitehouse), cheesier cat(Stephen Fry) , red and white queen and all the original characters.Alice is for-told a future set that she will save everyone from the redqueen by slaying her evil beast in a battle and so begins Alice'sadventures in wonderland. The story starts out well and sets a goodmood unfortunately it seems a bit rushed at time, like its brushingpast this plot point to more quickly to a part it thinks is better andmore interesting part of the film than what your watching. More time isspent of the Mad Hatter and his development through out the film thenAlice, which is annoying as she is the heroine and main character. Thismight not bother some people but if your gonna make more character forthe Hater give the movie to him not Alice. The fight scene also wasn'tvery interesting, it was very quick and lame in general and when thewhole movie is leading up to this moment you are setting thereexpecting something much more extravagant. Every actor in this moviegive a all good performance and does well bring there characters tolife. Johnny Depp does a fantastic job bring the mad hatter a new sideof character that hasn't been seen before, Matt Lucas does well playingboth Tweedledee and Tweedledum and Anne Hathaway also doesfantastically as the White queen. Every other small part played is alsodone well and without fail, Crispin Glover as the Knave of hearts toAlan Rickman as the blue caterpillar. Mia Wasikowska as Alice is goodin parts but you have problems with her acting towards the end as sheseems to not grow much through out the film and although apparentlylosing her muchness, when she gets it back her personality doesn't seemmuch changed apart from the ability to saw yes to more things. The filmlooks fantastic, Tim Burton's vision of what Wonderland is presentedperfectly with a mixture of dark and beautiful colors. The creaturesand characters all look there parts and the score from Danny Elfmannever fails to match the mood great. Its a pity that you never see andgreat shots of wonderland apart from the start which is only short. The3D in this movie was produced after the final production so its not allthat great, its OK and when its working well it is doing a great job.Unfortunately it also has some flaws in it and a bit much time wasspent on creating effects that pop things out of the screen then on therest of the movies 3D in general. In general i think id enjoy watchingthis movie without 3D a lot more as some things were annoying. Themovie is all but perfect but is very fun, it has a very good cast tocarry you through one of the most enjoyable worlds to enter that willleave you wanting to return as soon as possible. Alice in Wonderland isdefiantly worth checking out, younger child will enjoy (just not toyoung as there are a couple frightening scenes) so shall older kids,adults and even older types. Returning to Wonderland through TimBurton's looking glass was as ever enjoyable as his past adventures, idsuggest getting out and seeing this one at the cinemas tomorrow.Acting: 8 Writing: 7 Direction: 8 Production: 8.5 Overall: 7.87 3D: 6

jmh259

(2012-03-24 13:44:02)

Definitely a Film worth seeing

I wanted to start off by saying that the visuals were great. The 3Ddefinitely could have been better, but I still enjoyed it and am gladthat I saw it in 3D rather than regular. I think Depp did a great jobcreating the Mad Hatter Character. As for the plot, many people claimedthat it was too boring and simple. Personally I had no issue with theplot as it kept me entertained throughout the entire movie. Alicewasn't acting surprised in the new world because she believed she wasdreaming and creating it all in her mind. And when this plot iscompared to the original 1951 version it was certainly an improvement.For those who believe it was too simple just look back at the original.The whole plot was that she wandered off after a white rabbit and gotlost before running down a tunnel of smoke and escaping all herproblems by telling herself to wake up. At least this movie was movingtowards a climax and resolution in where she realizes that Wonderlandwas a parallel to the current issue she was facing in the real worldand by overcoming the dangers in wonderland she also found the answershe was looking for. Burton and Depp are still doing a great job,people just have way too high expectations for them these days. Overallgreat and worth seeing in theaters.

gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297

(2012-03-24 08:18:08)

A visually imaginative and entertaining film with Tim Burton's lavish directing

In my opinion, Tim Burton is a flawless director and reaches the levelsof Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, but unlike those two films, hedoes one thing that he always does best: making darker and mereimaginative films including Batman, Edward Scissorhands, BatmanReturns, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Ed Wood, MarsAttacks, Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, and Sweeney Todd. The Planet of theApes remake was constantly mediocre in it's telling of the original,but at least I enjoyed the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remakedespite it's dark visuals (although nothing bad happened throughout thefilm) and it's incoherent writing (with it's out of place comedicmoments with Johnny Depp).So, when I heard that he himself was chosen to adapt Lewis Carroll'sWonderland books Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass andmush it together into one film, I became very interested and saw it thesame day it came out back at 2010. If I have to sum up this movie withone word after seeing almost two years ago, I say... AMAZING! Never,and I mean never, have I been blown away by this film. There are twoproblems that ruined the entire film for me.1: I'll admit that the story itself is predictable at it's best withone of the scenes that served no purpose and that includes thefutterwhacken dance by Hatter near the end of the film which was so outof place, idiotic and unbelievably confusing. Even the quest, 'chosenone' thingy didn't work for me. Although, I love the concept of Aliceas she faces her hallucinations about her past since her first visit towonderland as a little child and I learned what it's like to see thatWonderland can be gruesome, dark, and creepy.2: The pacing for this movie is just too sluggish for it's own good.The first 30 minutes move at a decent pace, but it has bits of slowmoments. Also... um, I've got nothing else to say about the pacing.With those two problems out of the way, everything else in this filmexceeded my expectations with Danny Elfman's innovative music scorewhile "Almost Alice" is an excellent soundtrack with great pop songsincluding Avril Lavigne's Underground as the best. The visuals arebrilliant with the CGI look of Wonderland as the best to be ever put tofilm and it captures the essence and imagination of Lewis Carroll. Theaction and suspense in this film is absolutely flawless with the climaxas the greatest aspect.The strongest aspect goes to the top notch cast. Mia Wasikowska stealsthe show as a perfect model for role girls as a stubborn and braveheroine and captures the hallucination of the now 19 year old Alice.Johnny Depp, if only he doesn't act like Michael Jackson, did afabulous job as the Mad Hatter for capturing the character's insanepersonalities and the relationship between him and Alice is quite good.The lovely Helena Bonham Carter did an astounding job capturing the RedQueen's personalities and is the most diabolical villainess in thehistory of cinema. Other talented actors like Anne Hathaway along withsome great voice actors for the creatures of Wonderland including AlanRickman, Timothy Spall, and Christopher Lee are flawless and they allcaptured the personalities of the characters from the books.Although, not a masterpiece, Alice In Wonderland is an enjoyable treatthat came out in spring of 2010 and it is an visually imaginative thatcaptures the essence of the Lewis Carroll's books.Rating: 8.7/10

Edward Douglas

(2012-03-17 17:49:20)

People who enjoy high fantasy like Carroll's classic work are more than happy to experience the insanity, but don't necessarily want to be driven insane themselves.

griffolyon12

(2012-03-17 13:29:53)

Blockbuster-ified Fairy Tale

I adore fairy tales. Fantastical stories that take you to other worldsand have no rhyme or reason, they simply are and exist, without anycomplex explanation. Of course, now there are blockbuster-ified fairytales. If that's what you want, then director Tim Burton's Alice inWonderland is for you.This is not your ordinary Alice in Wonderland, it's actually a vaguesequel to the original story, but rather than being an adaptation ofthe legitimate sequel penned by Lewis Carroll (Through the LookingGlass), it is an odd jumble of a story that seems as if it was dreamedup in a board room. Alice has been to Wonderland before, but cannotremember it. When she is 19 and faced with the horrible decision as towhether or not to marry her horrible suitor, Alice falls down therabbit hole once more, rediscovers Wonderland, and learns that she isthe only one who can usurp the Red Queen by slaying her all powerfuldragon in a Lord of the Rings-esquire climax.It isn't fair to say Alice in Wonderland is a bad film, just clichГѓВ©where it could have been so much more. One would think the marriage ofbizarre director Tim Burton with the Lewis Carroll classic would be aperfect pairing, but the film was bogged down into the realm of clichГѓВ©action/adventure. The film kind of plays out like a Lord of the Ringslight. We must get this ancient sword, take it to the White Queen, andthen Alice must challenge the Red Queen's dragon and slay it to saveWonderland. Am I the only one who finds something wrong with this?Alice in Wonderland is a fantasy, and not an action/adventure epic, butmore of a fantasy that is more about the characters and not the epicbackdrop. Speaking of fantasy, time was never taken to drink in thefantastical, to truly experience Wonderland, we would just hop on overto the next piece of the Hollywood puzzle. Still, there is a goodamount to enjoy in the film.Unlike most Tim Burton films, this isn't a macabre film that is simplymacabre for no other reason than to be macabre. It is actually akid-friendly film, and for Burton, is not weird at all, it is just trueto the spirit of Lewis Carroll's story. The film is strikingly the mostcommercial friendly Burton film since the original Batman in 1989, andeven though I was disappointed that the film was more of a bigblockbuster than a straight up fantasy (like the books), theaction/adventure elements were played well. While it was all a touchclichГѓВ©, the dueling the dragon and the big epic battle at the end, wasat least entertaining, even if it didn't feel like Alice in Wonderland.Not to mention, the characters are exceedingly charming. Johnny Depp isfascinating as the Mad Hatter, as well, Mia Wasikowska, who playsAlice, shines and is definitely a star in the making.I think my greatest disappointment came with this film in seeing thatthe cast was all pitch perfect and the design of Wonderland wasfantastic, not to mention a great many moments within the film showedpromise of being one of those unforgettable movie moments, but none ofthat ever came to fruition and was just bogged down by the mechanics ofthe studio system. Really, the film is entertaining enough to watch,but repeat viewings really aren't desired, and by this film's favoringof clichГѓВ© Hollywood blockbuster story over originality and straight upfantasy, it keeps the film from being something more memorable down theroad.I give Alice in Wonderland a 6 out of 10!