CleoMeister
Posts: 10
Joined: 20/3/2010
From: Sydney
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First off, this my first review posted on this site, so if it seems lacking, I urge you to bear with me.
I feel the need to underline what has been stated here a few times; this movie was originally not intended to be in 3D, and as a consequence, it's 3D elements may seem lacking to some people, and personally, having seen this in 3D twice I can say that I think the normal version would be, for lack of a better phrase, quite as good.
And good is certainly to word to use here. Ever since my disappointment at the majority of the Harry Potter films after Chamber of Secrets, I have learned to not believe the hype, and went into the cinema for this one as indifferent as I came out of it, if disappointed. It seems to me that Tim Burton is becoming lackluster in his approach to film making these days, as exemplified by this film. From the outset, I was instantly set on edge by the overtly stereotyped character that Burton's Alice was on the brink of being thrown into wedlock with, the opposite extreme being the character of her mother, who I think was understated and pushed aside, as most of this film's most engaging characters were.
After Alice's sudden mid-proposal flee into the nearby woods and her plunge into Wonderland, as well as a recycled and familiar door-unlocking sequence interrupted by distracting voice-overs, engagement level rises, but for the most part leaves the viewer feeling rushed and befuddled; which may or may not be a point of the film. After a too soon-introduced chase scene, the Mad Hatter character enters, entering with a level of charm that disintegrates as rapidly as his advertised walk across the table. Here the plot hits a peak of numbed interest, and stays there up until the third act, where it falls just as quickly as Alice's final opponent.
For a movie that takes after the main character's namesake, there is really nothing that charming about this Alice in comparison to any of the previous versions, outside from the tip-of-the-hat line "Curiouser and curiouser." In fact, it seems more like the film's protagonist is pushed through the story as literally as the story seems to make it out like, which may seem like an oxymoron, until you see the movie. The unfortunate point of this is that the most engaging, and source accurate, characters only really make minute appearances in the plot, which may be rooted in their less than pivotal, but still important roles in the original novel. These characters being the caterpillar and the very noteworthy Cheshire Cat, who for me, saved the film.
As the story progresses, the movie's moral, "forge your own path", or moreover "nobody can make your life for you", is repeatedly thrown in the audience's face up to the point that it almost becomes aggravating. Alice constantly denies suggestions given forth by other characters, but never gives reasons behind these (namely, why she refuses to slay the Jabberwocky), and yet, at the end, I can't help but feel Burton has betrayed his own muse by having the more 'normal' side of the battle win, and going just short of sending the message that it's OK to be cruel to people who are different (maybe I'm drawing too much out of this? But really, listen to some of the things said to the Red Queen). Where this film lets itself down is it goes from being a mystical adventure story to an epic battle saga along the lines of Chronocles of Narnia. In fact, if it weren't for the size-changing foods, it might as well be, for the amount of 'wonder' this Underland lacks. The story is weak, and leaves many questions unanswered or unexplained. I also feel the need to express the disappointment at the Hatter's ending dance, as well as the Jabberwocky's magical return-me-home venom.
All in all, Alice in Wonderland is a spectacle. It's fun to watch, but certainly nothing special, and hardly worth the price of seeing it in 3D, unless that is something you're into. Burton has tried to overcomplicate a simple story, simulaneously often undercomplicating some chatacters, as well as key plot points.
6/10, for unfufiled potential and rushed plot.
(And on a side note, I found the March Hare character most tiring of all, and cannot fathom why so many people find him entertaining.)
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