I better start with the most important question first. No, I did not think this film was as good as the original Alice and Wonderland and therefore do not think it was as good as the book it takes the name of. Maybe its because I loved the original Disney film and would very much prefer to see Burton do something original instead of, "re-imagining" other films. But hey, that's my bias, now you know.
To be fair Alice in Wonderland is less of a remake and more of a sequel of the original story. The good news is that it does not share the same curse of other Burton remakes and is a far better film than Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride. The bad news is that Tim Burton gets the opportunity to take the series in a new direction and he decides to take it in a direction no fan of the books would want to see it go in.
Let me explain, say you enjoyed the whimsical, wonderful aspect of the Alice and Wonderland books. The ambiguity that it all could be a dream, the slight in cohesion that somehow held the story together. Well Burton didn't like that, he decided to drain Alice and Wonderland of all its whim and color and replace it with a cold, merciless, adventure film that is far too coherent and linear to be in Wonderland. I feel that if Lewis Carrol could see this film he would hate it for two reasons. One, Alice is of legal age (Ba-zing!) and two there is no wonder left in Wonderland, only solid facts and a rigid plot Alice must follow.
Don't get me wrong, I understand now that Burton was trying to only add to the original, he wanted to show Alice, only with the loss of her innocence. But it feels like a wasted effort. This story could have stood on its own and in fact would have made a fine original film. If anything, the Alice and Wonderland license only holds it back (You'll understand why when you meet the new Mad Hatter) But I'm beginning to ramble, perhaps I should actually review something.
The actors' performances are decent but none of them exceed the Disney version. Anne Hathaway does a fantastic job as the White Queen and the Mad Rabbit steals every scene he is in, even if he is only in two. Stephen Fry does a fine job as the Cheshire Cat but at best he only equals the performance given by Sterling Holloway. Unfortunately Michael Sheen takes the role of the White Rabbit too seriously and he comes off as whiny and neurotic but in the bad non-comedic way. Crispen Glover was interesting as the knave of hearts but he felt like he didn't really fit in to the Alice and Wonderland Universe, the same goes for Matt Lucas' as the Tweedles. Burton's regulars are probably the worst choices out of the whole cast. Alan Rickman seems more boring than interesting as he become even more monotone. And Helen Bonham Carter is forgettable at best. I was surprised to find that I actually did enjoy Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter but unfortunately Burton took the character into a direction no fan of the books wants to seem him go down.
Good news is that Danny Elfman does a phenomenal job with the music mostly because he has finally mastered the art of subtlety. And the design of the Knights in the White and Red court are awesome, probably the only surefire thing Burton did better than the original. Not sure if I would recommend this film to kids. If you do take young kids to see it expect lots of dead bodies, eye stabbing, and naked Alice. Also, the ending is awful.
Overall its an interesting film, but you have to accept that its really not an Alice and Wonderland film. Its an adventurous film that takes bold steps, even if you don't like where the feet are going.
To be fair Alice in Wonderland is less of a remake and more of a sequel of the original story. The good news is that it does not share the same curse of other Burton remakes and is a far better film than Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Corpse Bride. The bad news is that Tim Burton gets the opportunity to take the series in a new direction and he decides to take it in a direction no fan of the books would want to see it go in.
Let me explain, say you enjoyed the whimsical, wonderful aspect of the Alice and Wonderland books. The ambiguity that it all could be a dream, the slight in cohesion that somehow held the story together. Well Burton didn't like that, he decided to drain Alice and Wonderland of all its whim and color and replace it with a cold, merciless, adventure film that is far too coherent and linear to be in Wonderland. I feel that if Lewis Carrol could see this film he would hate it for two reasons. One, Alice is of legal age (Ba-zing!) and two there is no wonder left in Wonderland, only solid facts and a rigid plot Alice must follow.
Don't get me wrong, I understand now that Burton was trying to only add to the original, he wanted to show Alice, only with the loss of her innocence. But it feels like a wasted effort. This story could have stood on its own and in fact would have made a fine original film. If anything, the Alice and Wonderland license only holds it back (You'll understand why when you meet the new Mad Hatter) But I'm beginning to ramble, perhaps I should actually review something.
The actors' performances are decent but none of them exceed the Disney version. Anne Hathaway does a fantastic job as the White Queen and the Mad Rabbit steals every scene he is in, even if he is only in two. Stephen Fry does a fine job as the Cheshire Cat but at best he only equals the performance given by Sterling Holloway. Unfortunately Michael Sheen takes the role of the White Rabbit too seriously and he comes off as whiny and neurotic but in the bad non-comedic way. Crispen Glover was interesting as the knave of hearts but he felt like he didn't really fit in to the Alice and Wonderland Universe, the same goes for Matt Lucas' as the Tweedles. Burton's regulars are probably the worst choices out of the whole cast. Alan Rickman seems more boring than interesting as he become even more monotone. And Helen Bonham Carter is forgettable at best. I was surprised to find that I actually did enjoy Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter but unfortunately Burton took the character into a direction no fan of the books wants to seem him go down.
Good news is that Danny Elfman does a phenomenal job with the music mostly because he has finally mastered the art of subtlety. And the design of the Knights in the White and Red court are awesome, probably the only surefire thing Burton did better than the original. Not sure if I would recommend this film to kids. If you do take young kids to see it expect lots of dead bodies, eye stabbing, and naked Alice. Also, the ending is awful.
turns out the entire point of the film was to say that imperialism is a great idea. Yeah not sure how Burton pulled that one off either
Overall its an interesting film, but you have to accept that its really not an Alice and Wonderland film. Its an adventurous film that takes bold steps, even if you don't like where the feet are going.
