Alice in Wonderland is one of those classic literary works that seems to get a revival in some form or another on an annual basis. First written back in 1865 under the title Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it's a fantasy filled story that ranks right up there with Peter Pan as one of children's greatest literature. Ironically Disney's 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland happens to be my favorite animated film, and as most of you know I'm not much of a fan when it comes to animation. This tale also happens to be one of the more butchered classics when it come to re-telling it on the small or large screen, as a fan I've seen very few renditions that are not extremely boring, or simply poorly made when it comes to bringing the story to life, and unfortunately that's the case with Tim Burton's rendition.
Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is more of a take on Lewis Carroll's sequel Through the Looking Glass which was written in 1871. This is the story which contains characters like Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the Jabberwocky, who were never present in the original story. In Tim Burton's rendition a 19 year-old Alice accidentally falls back down the rabbit hole while once again chasing the White Rabbit and the story seemingly proceeds for another ten minutes like any other rendition of the story as she attempts to fit through the small door into Wonderland. Once she does she's greeted by many familiar characters who try to convince her she's the only person who can defeat the Red Queen's Jabberwocky and save Wonderland from destruction. The only problem is Alice believes this is all just a dream and if she doesn't believe Wonderland exists then there's no hope for it being saved.
Burton's Alice in Wonderland might be one the Top 10 all-time grossing films ever worldwide but don't let that convince you it's a great film. For me it simply falls flat on so many levels. First the story fails to captivate, it's similar to a boring family or high school reunion, nothing new or interesting is really thrown into the mix other than Alice having to defeat the Jabberwocky and that doesn't take place until the final ten minutes of the film. The fact is Alice in Wonderland needed to either stay truer to the second book it appeared it was trying to intimate or create a more engaging story like Hook or Return to Oz were able to do by creating a story that stands apart from the original.
Second the 90% CGI usage is always a turn off for me, even the Disney cartoon version looked more real, appealing and full of fantasy. You'll never be able to convince me CGI is better than realistic sets or locations, it may be cheaper but you lose a bit of reality. Lastly the acting is quite bland. Being a big fan of Johnny Depp I was quite disappointed in his portrayal of the Mad Hatter. Maybe once again my love for the animated classic is clouding my judgment, but there's nothing mad about Johnny Depp's Hatter, giddy maybe but not mad. All the other actors and characters also seemed overly dry and stilted as well and Anne Hathaway with her arms constantly up in the air made me want to run to the screen and push them down, I never thought she could be more annoying than she normally is!
In the end, Alice in Wonderland just didn't do it for me, personally I gain much more enjoyment and entertainment from the classic Disney cartoon, something parents should have their kids watch instead of Burton's once again nightmarish version of another children's classic. It's time for Burton to start working on Dark Shadows, a project that's perfect for him, and stop screwing around with classic children's stories.
5/10
Really hated this and agree with many of your comments. Didn't find Hathaway annoying but did find plenty of others nearly unwatchable - Depp especially, whose occasional Scottish accent was as barmy as it was un-needed. Caught an early morning screening and nearly drifted off to sleep.
ReplyDeleteI suppose we can knock this one up to another one of those rare times we pretty much agree on a movie.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting movie review and trailer, See first time Anne Hathaway in totally different role. Looks pretty in that movie.
ReplyDeleteBurton should've done the American McGee's version of Alice. Now that's what I'd REALLY like to see; for a potentially risky project such as that, it surely wouldn't hurt to have someone of Burton's reputation at the helm.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly, something is the works. I wait an hold my fingers crossed.
@Film Intel - yea the Scottish accent was strange, it pops up every once in a while.
ReplyDelete@Univarn - I'm scared because those time are becoming a little less rare...
@Ventilation Shaft - never heard of American McGee, I'm assuming though it's probably more of like a horror version of Alice, right? I know there's a couple video games where the whole Wonderland was made to be really twisted and dark.
Yes, it's actually an old, cult EA video game. It takes place after the adventures of the "ordinary" Alice. Some time later, Alice's house burns down killing her entire family, leaving only her as the survivor. She goes insane and is put in an asylum for 10 years; then, she finds herself sucked into Wonderland again, but one which has been altered by her own twisted mind.
ReplyDeleteI was never really inspired to write a review of this film. It's not that I hated it, it's just that it ended up being everything I expected it to be. The acting is fine, the visuals are signature Burton, and the story is what we all know it to be. There wasn't any surprise in it for me.
ReplyDelete@Danny King - completely understand your indifference towards this film, and not writing a review on it. It's always the films that fall somewhere in the middle that don't provide much of an inspiration to review. For me I actually expected more from this film, which left me a bit disappointed when it really didn't turn out to be anything special.
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