I thought the whole movie was one gigantic missed opportunity. I think it had potential to really be a great movie, unfortunately they squandered it on a haphazard storyline that seemed to meander around like a drunk before collapsing face first into a dung heap. I thought all the characters were great really, Johnny Depp's portrayal of the Mad Hatter was pretty good, the girl who played Alice did a decent job, and all the voice actors sounded like they were having fun with it. If there had just been some sort of cohesive and interesting narrative it MIGHT have been a damn good movie. As it is, it provides really no motivations for any of the characters or really even give the audience even a hint as to what the hell is going on.
All we're really given to go on is that the Red Queen has taken over underland for...some reason. And she has a big dragon thing that helps her rule the empire...I guess? And the vorpul sword is required to kill the dragon because...well that's not really addressed either. It's like the film makers shrugged and said "Trust us, this makes sense."
The whole thing was just a big muddled mess that never seemed to know what to do with itself and it robs the otherwise vibrant characters of their personalities. Alice turns from a confused girl afraid of marrying someone she doesn't love, into a fully armored Joan-of-Arc-esque Warrior Queen in the space of a two minute conversation with a caterpillar. The Mad Hatter turns from a wacky almost manic-depressive personality into a respectable steward/broadsword wielding soldier. And what really bothered me about the sword, wasn't the fact that it was a broadsword or that it was the Mad Hatter wielding it, but that it looked so generic, like they pulled out of the spare props closet two minutes before shooting. All the other weapons and, indeed, the whole artistic layout of the movie was so vibrant and unique that this dull looking grey/rusted looking broadsword just looked so out of place. You'd think the Mad Hatter, of all the characters, would have the most unique weapon of the bunch. Would it have been so hard to add in a scene where the Mad Hatter insists he wants to fight but the only weapon available is this crappy broadsword, which the Mad Hatter then spruces up with ribbons and other garish adornments (like those he wears on his hat)? Or even just a scene where he creates his own unique arsenal made of hat making materials? Would have taken 2-3 minutes and would really have helped eased the massive eyesore that was that broadsword.
If the story had only been straightened out and tightened up these transitions could have been smoother and more natural. As it is they just seem artificial and forced because those are the transitions necessary to complete the film but inadequate time was given to develop them naturally.
