Yesterday, I rented Alice in Wonderland (the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version). And yes, I still rent movies too. Netflix or whatever, is not for me, I actually like going to the video store and browsing the shelves, finding what I'm looking for, dithering between what to get, etc. But I digress, this is what I thought of Alice in Wonderland.
Alice in Wonderland
So this is Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. He was, as he usually is, among the best things in the movie. Now I generally like Tim Burton films. Yes, they tend to trend to the "goth-poseur" side of things, but since he is the guy doing that, and since he doesn't churn out too many movies, I like his look in films and Alice is no exception. The visuals in the film are great. The Queen of Hearts, her castle, the Jabberwock, the bandersnatch, Tweedles, flowers, playing card guards, etc are all top rate. Yes, maybe a little too much CGI instead ofreal life (this is an ongoing complaint of mine that you will see in the next review as well), but generally the visuals are great.As for the cast Depp is enjoyable in a rather odd turn as the Hatter. One minute he plays a lisping delusional Hatter full of sweetness and giggles and the next a much darker psychotic Scottish warrior Hatter full of dark rage that threatens to bubble over. Helena Bonham Carter is a wonderfully big-headed Red Queen and Crispin Glover makes a fine, if underused Jack/Knave of Hearts. However, I didn't like Mia Wasikowska's Alice very much. I think this was mostly due to the lack of a story and less so the acting she did (or as they say, she did the best with what they gave her). The rest of the cast, mostly voices for CGI characters like the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) or Catterpillar (Alan Rickman) are fine as well, but again, mostly hidden away. Although I did like Sir Christpher Lee returning in another Burton role.
Overall, it is the story that lets the film down. The plot is Alice, now 20 and not the little girl from the animated movie most of us know, returns to "Wonderland", doesn't remember things, gets befuddled, meets all the characters and ends up fighting the Jabberwock because it is the frabjous day and that is what Alice's do on the frabjous days. To me, it seemed that Burton spent huge amounts of time designing sets, creating creatures, working with effects teams, but only a day or so with the writers. I wish Alice had been stronger and that the story had given something for us to follow rather than just move from character to character, effect to effect. Yes there are attempts to make this more new Burton version and less old Disney version, but they seem rather weak. "Wonderland" is really Underland, but Alice as a child during her first visit got the name wrong. Ok, fine but so what? Why does it matter? Or there is one bit where the White Rabbit talks of being on the surface where the animals don't wear clothes and how much this creeps him out which is funny, but we later meet a bloodhound that doesn't wear clothes (neither does the Cheshire Cat, bandersnatch, JubJub bird, etc) so again, why does this matter? The Mad Hatter has been so depressed that he hasn't done teh "Flutterwacken Dance" under the Red Queen's rule. So? Did we really need a CGI-infused breakdancing Hatter to express discomfort?
"Why does this matter" is basically what I came away with after watching Alice in Wonderland. As I said, this visuals a great, but without the story to tie it down, it just kind of floats away and I was left with a feeling of emptiness.
If you want this cast (mostly) with this director, cool visuals and a retelling of a Disney animated film, go rent Sleepy Hollow. Plus it has better beheadings.
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