Annlee Ellingson

24 May 2012

It's a weak structure, thinly tied to the picture's tired and antiquated theme about Alice reclaiming her "muchness" and defying societal expectations.

24 May 2012

Alice In Wonderland

I wasn't terribly taken with this version of Alice In Wonderland. While it was amazing as far as graphics go, the story was actually boggling. I couldn't really understand what the point of the plot was.Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is at a party when she sees a mysterious white rabbit. After falling down a hole, she comes to wonderland. But it is much changed from the wonderland we all know as our childhood. She actually encounters the Tweedles fairly quickly as well as a few other characters who tell her her destiny is to slay the Jabberwocky.A bit incredulous Alice is led to the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and associates. He sets down his life to save her from the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and tells her to seek out the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). There she prepares for the ultimate battle against the Jabberwocky.The characters in this movie, to me, were lukewarm at best. While I always enjoy Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp, they played the only characters that I actually enjoyed in the movie. Even Alice didn't hold the charm for me she should have. The rest of the characters seemed minor and weren't really developed. One other exception would be the Cheshire cat, I found him delightful.While Burton's done some wonderful work, I just don't think this was up to his usual standard. Even the music was only so-so any nothing that really made me go "wow". The makeup and visuals in this film are outstanding however. They are very crazy looking but don't look fake or not well done. A lot of care was put in the costumes and it made it very realistic. Even the Mad Hatter's hat played an integral roll in the movie.Overall I wasn't terribly impressed. But for a night with nothing else to do, I'd definitely watch it again.

yourwarmembrace

23 May 2012

Wow Tim! Really? Only worth it in IMAX 3D but not really...

I struggle to leave 5 stars. I think I would have fallen asleep if Ihad watched this in 2D. In IMAX 3D, the guy sitting directly to myright nodded through the entire film. My gut tells me that it was made3D after the fact as there was nothing that jumped out at me or took mybreath away. Again, I struggle to leave 5 stars but I do as this is theman who made the most insane stop-motion animation film of all time. Istill to this day marvel at the detail of Nightmare Before Christmas. Iunderstand now that with the absence of today's technology, there wasno choice but to be that detailed back then. Alice in Wonderland hasone of the most horrendous uses of CGI that I have ever seen.Disturbing. It's as if Burton and Disney butted heads (yet again) andBurton just went into auto-pilot.

itamarscomix

23 May 2012

An insult to Lewis Carrolls vision

I almost don't want to review this movie, because I love Tim Burton andI hope he'll realize the error of this project and be back on track forthe next one, the way he did after the horrendous Planet of the Apes(and no, Alice isn't quite as bad as that one, but that's not sayingmuch). Having been accustomed to being disappointed by literary filmadaptations, I came in with low expectations, and still I wasdisappointed.What bothered me most as a Lewis Carroll fan was not the changes madeto the storyline as much as the changes made to the spirit and theatmosphere. Amy Biancolli phrased it perfectly - "Its single biggestfailing... is the fact that it makes sense". The film betrayseverything that was magical and fascinating about Carroll's nonsenseand whim, turning it into a clone of Narnia or the Neverending Story.The Mad Hatter -- a tortured soul turned to madness by evil and horror?Seriously? That's almost as bad as turning the poem of the Jabberwocky- a masterpiece of language and nonsense - into an ominous prophecy.'Underland'? Please. The characters are Carroll's, but Carroll's visionis gone.Not that the film doesn't have a few things going for it. The castingis near perfect, and it could have made a solid Alice film. HelenaBonham Carter, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen,Crispin Glover, Timothy Spall - they all do a commendable job. JohnnyDepp's Hatter was awful but it wasn't his fault - he was merely doinghis Willy Wonka over again. Mia Wasikowska does a good job, even if anyconnection to Carroll's Alice is purely coincidental. Costume designand art direction are as good as you'd expect from Burton, but hardlygroundbreaking.As for the 3D, it does very little to help the film along. I do hopethat Burton has learned his lesson - that 3D is no replacement forfilmmaking (although sadly, seeing how successful Alice was, it may bethat he won't learn that lesson). If Avatar hasn't driven the messagehome, then Alice should be a wake-up call to anyone of the JamesCameron school of thought, who will realize that 3D cinema is agimmick, a fun one, but definitely not the next stage in filmmaking, atleast not until somebody did anything worthwhile with it, and so far Ihaven't seen that happen.

Anders Wotzke

23 May 2012

The closest you'll get to absolute madness without being locked in a room with padded walls...a wondrous piece of escapism.

Jim Vejvoda

23 May 2012

This Wonderland is just listless, bland and derivative -- a mere technical undertaking from a disinterested filmmaker.

lunafrank34

21 May 2012

Tim Burtons Work of Art.

When I first saw who was making the movie I was super excited. TimBurton is my favorite movie creator. I went to see this movie alone andI was very pleased with the work he did. Its his best work yet. Theanimation was wonderful, and since it was all green-screen made it evenbetter.How they used it on Stayne and the Tweedles was just awesome.Most of Tim Burton's work is dark(i.Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd,etc.) and he put it in this movie. It may not seem like his best tosome people but I like how it all came together.*Spoiler Alert* It shows Alice when she is older and how she goes throughUnderland/Wonderland and how she doesn't remember the first time. Shegoes to Absolum because of the White Rabbit, then goes to the MadHatter who looks like he's been frozen in time, its just wonderful.So to wrap it up I give this movie a 10 out of 10. Johnny Depp did awonderful job at being the Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter made areally good Red Queen. The actors and voice actors were a wonderfulchoice.

Danny Blankenship

21 May 2012

Visually enchanting. Tim Burton once again skews ones world view with this wonderful literary classic.

I for one am a big Tim Burton fan, he's one of the best directorsaround in film. I love his offbeat use of odd faced characters, anddark backdrops similar to old classic German cinema techniques. Burtonalways seems to be the master of the sky the leader of the macabre ashis oddball characters bring out the best of not only themselves butBurton as well. And this is proved in his films ranging from "Batman","Edward Scissorhands", "Ed Wood", "Sweeny Todd", and "Charlie and theChocolate Factory". So I knew going in I would enjoy his take on "Alicein Wonderland" as he once again teamed up with Johhny Depp so I knowthe chemistry was present for some great work.I probably enjoyed the film even more having saw it in IMAX as thecrystal clear images and teardrop reflections of images flying rightoff of the screen was exhilarating to witness. I for one knew like mostthe plot and story of this literature classic even though I had neverread Lewis Carroll's take. Even more fun was the kooky and colorfulzany take that Burton would have. The story is typical taking place inLondon a young girl named Alice(Mia Wasikowska)thinks back to anadventure she had and enjoyed thirteen years earlier, and at thepresent she seems weighed and tightened down by family and apolitically correct majority.So with any typical fairy tale when a little bunny rabbit appears Aliceis lead to a fall thru hole that will take her to a magical joyful landof new adventure and new characters! Alice's meetings aside from therabbit include the March Hare, the smiling Cheshire Cat, and theawkward yet lovable chubby fellows Tweedledee/Tweedledum(Matt Lucas).To top the journey adventure off Alice meets the strange yet determinedMad Hatter(Johnny Depp)and this character reminds one of a Carrot Topin Kabuki makeup. It's the goal of all to slay an ancient dragon calledJabberwock which will fulfill a prophecy and free Wonderland from theRed Queen(Helena Bonham Carter). The power and a special item(a swordthat slays the dragon)will be returned to the White Queen(AnneHathaway, as this character is a spitting image of Snow White and Gindathe good witch). This tale clearly has similar themes to anotherclassic like "The Wizard of Oz" as I just mentioned a comparison a fewlines ago.Overall this film is enjoyable and a visual treat to watch especiallyin IMAX it's your typical classic feel good literature tale of meetingnew friends, good against evil, as along the way courage, thought, andlove is learned. It's really a must see too for any Tim Burton fan ashere he shot actors against green screens filling in the world withcomputer generated imagery. As clearly this is one film where theimages and characters outweigh and outclass the plot and storiesmeaning.

brocksilvey

18 May 2012

Nothing Wonderful About This Wonderland

Pretty terrible sequel of sorts to the famous Lewis Carroll story thatfinds Alice returning to Wonderland years after her first adventure todo battle with the Jabberwocky and end the reign of the tyrannical RedQueen.A lot of money and some pretty decent actors are thrown up on thescreen in a frenzy of special effects, production design and actionsequences that are meant to distract us from how badly written andunengaging the whole thing is. Johnny Depp is given a large role as theMad Hatter and does his standard weirdo routine for the umpteenth time.Alice is a black hole at the film's center, mostly because the actresswho plays her is uber-bland. The only thing that occasionally roused mefrom my drowsy stupor was Helena Bonham Carter, who gives the film itsonly laughs as the Red Queen.At one time I thought Tim Burton had the makings of a great filmmaker.I'm not so sure anymore.....Grade: D

tabielby

18 May 2012

Lacking depth but visually stunning

I've eagerly anticipated Tim Burton's latest releases from before I canremember, and with Alice in Wonderland marking his first foray into3-D, this was no exception. Arriving early at the cinema, we weretreated to a live satellite link-up from the world premiere hosted atLondon's Leicester square. Watching Prince Charles shake hands withalmost everyone involved in the film was not my idea of fun but itcertainly made an interesting change to the cinema experience. Afterthe formalities he was shown into the cinema and the film couldeventually start for him at the world premiere, and me in the comfortof Cineworld Didsbury.Unlike previous adaptations of Alice, Burton takes the viewer on a newjourney, only loosely following aspects of Carrol's classic stories'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the looking glass' to create anentirely new experience. Although this may disappoint fans of thestories, there are still a lot of familiar characters to be seen asAlice is portrayed as a young woman returning to the world she firstenvisaged as a child - almost like an unofficial sequel to Carrol'swork.Having only seen two films in 3-D prior to Alice in Wonderland;Coraline and Avatar, I was still unsure whether 3-D was more than justa gimmick, however, it certainly enhanced the visual aspect of thefilm, bringing life to Burton's dark and mysterious world.There is some fantastic casting within the film, especially Matt Lucasas Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and although the computer generatedeffects used to render the characters are impressive, I was leftlonging for the extravagant costumes that Burton fans are used toseeing in his earlier films - Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands cometo mind. Despite this, we still see a glimpse of Burton's onceawe-inspiring creations with a number of weird creatures that inhabitWonderland, as well as some suitably creepy decapitated heads thatserve as stepping stones in a castle moat.Putting aside a few moments that young children may find scary, this isdefinitely a family movie, with elements of humour clearly aimed at theyounger audiences. One such moment comes near the end of the film whenJohnny Depp displays his 'funderwhacking' abilities, and whilst thatphrase may excite people who have yet to see the film, for me it merelyconjures up a horrendous image that I would rather forget! Most peoplewill have high expectations of the film due to the calibre of actorsand actresses involved but I have seen all of them in much betterperformances, apart from Barbara Windsor - it's nice to not see herface for once, as Burton does not devote enough screen time to any oneof the multitude of characters that inhabit Wonderland.Although Alice is not a landmark film by any means, I cannot deny thatI was soon absorbed in the story, despite its numerous flaws. If you dodecide to head to the cinema, make sure you see it in 3-D, as thisdefinitely played a big part in my enjoyment of the film. I doubt Iwould watch Alice in Wonderland again but would certainly recommend itfor families and young children.7/10If you liked this film you will also enjoy these:Coraline, Labyrinth, Laputa: Castle In The Sky, The Fall

beresfordjd

17 May 2012

I hate it.

Visually interesting but an appalling take on the story. The best thingabout it is Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp but even they are heldin check by the writing. This really is not Alice in Wonderland though- the title is just a peg on which to hang some sort of misdirectedfantasy. If Burton wanted Gwynneth Paltrow why did he not employ herinstead of a lookalike? One of the single most disappointing films Ihave ever had the misfortune to watch. Lots of anticipation dashed onthe rocks of Burton's vision. Sweeney Todd led me to believe that Timcould pull this one off but far from it. Crispin Glover's character hadno business being in this and most of the cameo voices were wasted. Canno-one manage to make this story into a film successfully? JonathanMiller came close but there is still a cigar to award to the firstperson to do it properly. Perhaps Pixar will tackle it one day - ifanyone can do it they can.

jar4677

16 May 2012

Old Art Direction, Still Gets Me

Ah, Tim Burton, you're so predictable some times. Whenever we go toyour movies there are a few things we can expect. Johnny Depp withweird hair, speaking strangely. Your wife, Helena Bonham Carter, withweird hair, speaking strangely. A certain art direction that makes usfeel like we're on the canvas of a painting that is in the process ofbeing painted. The colors are vibrant and not particularly blendedtogether yet. None of these things are bad in principle but I, for one,have begun to wonder how many times you can play these notes andproduce an interesting film. When I went to the theater to see yourlatest, Alice in Wonderland, I admit that I was expecting to not becaught up in the world you created but distracted by so many familiarimages. Well, you got me!Alice in Wonderland, as created by Walt Disney animation sixty yearsago, has become so much a part of the American culture that I, atleast, thought I knew what to expect from Tim Burton's new live-actionversion. Just the same story but with Johnny Depp and Helena BonhamCarter with weird hair, speaking strangely. What I got was a newvision, still old art direction but, as usual, it worked. All theexpected characters are there, the white rabbit, Tweedledee andTweedledum, the Cheshire Cat and of course the Mad Hatter. But Alice ismore grown up than I expected and she faces challenges that are equallygrown up. The progression of the film is about as uneven as Johnny Depp's accentthroughout the film and there are moments when the sound mixers oughtto have turned up the volume on the dialog. But, let's be honest, TimBurton's films are not about plot progression or sound mixing. They areabout the art direction, the story and Johnny Depp and Helena BonhamCarter sporting weird hair and speaking strangely. This movie deliverson all those things. The story is engaging even when we can'tunderstand what the characters are saying and the art direction suitsit well. So, for all my protestation of late that Tim Burton should dosomething different. I have to eat my words and say that I'm glad hedidn't do so on this occasion.

Matthew Turner

14 May 2012

Alice in Wonderland is something of a mixed bag -- it's worth seeing for the effects and performances but it's badly let down by a very disappointing script.

rock90-683-757379

13 May 2012

See it twice.

And the second time you see it, don't see it in 3D. It's more enjoyableand less "visibly dark" in 2D. First of all I don't think the reviewersare giving enough credit to how amazing the visuals are. Virtually theentire film was green screened and it never feels like that. You as anaudience member believe they are in this world and these creatures arenext to them interacting.Also, seeing it the second time around you get much more of a sense ofthe theme, especially with the parallel of when Alice runs from herproposal and later when Alice runs from being appointed "the champion".And really the people who compare it to Narnia and Lord of the Ringsare overlooking the fact that though basic structures of the story seemsimilar, there are elements such as Alice's growing and shrinkingthroughout, and the bizarre animals, and the Queen's humongous headthat really live in that world of Wonderland (or Underland rather) andcouldn't adapt to a Narnia or a Tolkien book.Acting wise it's all fine. As many other reviews have said, HelenaBonham Carter steals the show, and I think to a certain extent StephenFry as the Cheshire Cat does too. Mia Wasikowska's take on Alice Ifound excellent. She's not bland, but makes subtle acting choices and Ifind it much more powerful. Linda Woolverton's script however depictingAlice as certain she's in a dream for more than half the movie makesAlice come off a bit like she's less engaged and in awe of the worldaround her. A flaw that lies solely in the script.Overall thoroughly enjoyable, imaginative, and a fresh new take on sucha familiar classic.

karl_consiglio

13 May 2012

Rather disappointing

Just came back from watching it at the Cinema right now. I feel ratherempty. Offers nothing we know not of all ready. It all happens way toofast. A very spoon feeding adaptation, a thing I would have expectedTim Burton to overcome. All the obvious cute clichés, particularly theobvious Gothic ones to flush down the toilet by now, I was hoping for arefreshing approach. Was like a new school overly colorful cartoon. Allthem special effects make not the recipe to a good movie. I hate filmswith predictable outcomes. I guess Johnny Depp was OK, certainly notthe role of his lifetime. Best thing I could say about the film is thesize of the queen's head, bringing out the "Off with their heads" asbut a projection of her own insecurities....but that's about it. Shame.

scotthad

12 May 2012

I really wasnt that great, could have been so much more

Sure it was called "Alice in Wonderland" and had Johny Depp as a leadactor, but the movie really didn't live up to it's potential and I'mquit surprised that it had nearly zero appeal to me. I absolutely lovedthe original Alice in Wonderland, such a brilliant and creative film.This one just plain didn't make sense, not in a way that was intendedto be creative and imaginative but it was confusing and many scenesseemed like they had no purpose or meaning to the story.Sure visually there were good aspects to it, and they had the big nameactors and directors and such behind it, but when it comes right downto it a bad movie is a bad movie no matter what title or actors are apart of it.The actress who played Alice was not that appealing either, she lackedacing skills and seemed so out of place. Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatterwas just so ridiculous that it went beyond being Mad to being psychoticand delusional (As bad as his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory roll).Everything was just blown out of proportion and they needed to knock itdown to a more realistic level, and had a story that at least madesense and tied in somehow. Some scenes were straight from the classicmovie but slightly modified to be more appealing somehow but that allfailed, honestly I was just waiting for the movie to end from nearlythe first scene.

12 May 2012

Interesting and worth seeing

I liked Mia Wasikowska a lot -- she's very charming and beautiful asAlice.Burton has done something pretty strange with the Alice story. First ofall, it's been distorted to give bigger parts to his stars, HelenaBonham-Carter and Johnny Depp. But beyond that, he's changed theapproach to the fantasy elements.In the original Alice stories, the fantasy wasn't so serious, it wassupposed to be absurd and whimsical and amusing. And the originalstories really resisted an attempt to find anything close to aconsistent internal logic within them.Burton's Wonderland isn't whimsical, it's kind of scary. And there's apretty coherent story that hangs together, more or less. You know whyeveryone does everything. The characters are behaving rationally, andwe understand their motivations.The original Wonderland stories used absurdity to snap us out of ourmundane mental ruts -- sort of like zen koans. This film creates acoherent world that's being consumed by a titanic fight between goodand evil.There's a scene where Depp is intoning the Jabberwocky poem, and it hasthis old English sound to it. It reminded me something that someone inBeowulf might say before going into battle -- it's as serious as aheart attack. All I'm saying is that's a really unusual reading of thatpoem. Who would think of that? Now I think that all of this is pretty interesting, a lot of theelements are the same, and they look sort of similar. But the internallogic of the place is completely different. Who would read the originalbooks and decide the Mad Hatter is a romantic freedom fighter, kind ofa cross between Percy Bysshe Shelley and Che? Or that the BlueCaterpillar would be a wise father figure? It's not entirelysuccessful, but it's fun to watch and think about.Mia Wasikowska totally pushed it over the top for me. She's soappealing that I was happy so long as she was on the screen, and shewas on the screen most of the time.

11 May 2012

A delight.

If you don't expect the traditional story, this movie is a delight. Very well-acted, the story is interesting and moves along nicely, and the world that Burton creates is visually inventive, interesting, and at times stunning. Burton can be way too quirky, but here, he swings for and achieves his home run.

Prairie Miller

10 May 2012

With its busy world teeming with sights but somehow as hollow at its core as say, a rabbit hole, the movie is a little like a splendid feast for the eyes, and not intended for devouring. Or rather, a tantalizing travelogue a little heavy on tunnel vision.

Jonny_Numb

09 May 2012

Down...and down...and down...the rabbit-hole

It seemed like a no-brainer: the eccentric, visionary genius of TimBurton ("Ed Wood," "Sweeney Todd") paired with the eccentric, surrealliterary work of Lewis Carroll seemed a recipe for something that couldbe nothing less than mind-blowing, especially when the literary work inquestion is something as beloved and resonant in popular culture as"Alice in Wonderland." It's a shame the reality portends aless-than-flattering cinematic experience. What really happened here isanyone's guess: Burton, after floating on a career high in the wake of"Big Fish," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "Sweeney Todd"(one of his best films), transformed a world-renowned tale intosomething so bombastic and scattershot that it often feels like amega-budget Terry Gilliam movie. "Alice in Wonderland" really owes moreto the broadness of "Mars Attacks!" than the controlled maturity ofBurton's recent works. The film is stuffed with eccentric characters,but barely a single relative emotion; the dialog, delivered in Englishaccents by frequently hyperactive actors, borders on theincomprehensible. As Burton's long-reliable muse, Johnny Depp hasessayed many memorable roles under his direction, but as the MadHatter, delivers a lisping performance so wildly over-the-top that itbarely registers (his clown makeup and red fright wig doesn't helpmatters). And despite the film's much-hyped use of 3D, that aspectcomes off as curiously pedestrian, with very few scenes that take fulladvantage of the effect (or perhaps it's a case of bad timing: in thewake of the fantastically immersive world of "Avatar," everything elselooks like child's play by comparison), resulting in a visualexperience that lets the viewer down almost as much as theflatly-rendered narrative. By the end, my frustrated mind could onlywonder, without answer, where "Alice in Wonderland" really went wrong.