Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Alice in Wonderland (2010) directed by Tim Burton based on Lewis Carroll's novels

Lewis Carroll's novels Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass get the lavish, Tim Burton treatment. The movie starts with Alice as a nineteen-year old (Mia Wasikowska). Her imaginative father is long dead and her mother wants to marry her off to a nice, boring lord. They go to a country estate for a party where he will officially propose. Alice is not at all sure it is the right thing to do. At the party, she spots a white rabbit in a waistcoat with a pocketwatch. She chases after him, eventually going down a hole to Underland. It is populated by all the characters from the novels, the stories her dad told her or maybe she actually did visit as a child. At first she thinks that she is dreaming and doesn't recognize the world or the people ("people" including talking animals). She discovers that the world is under the oppression of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) who wants control of the world and to conquer her sister, the White Queen (Anne Hathaway). Alice is fated to kill the Red Queen's champion, the Jabberwocky...a fate Alice vehemently denies. She wouldn't hurt anyone. As the story progresses, she finds her inner strength and a newfound belief in the world she has discovered.

The movie is a visual extravaganza typical of Tim Burton. It's also much darker than the typical Alice in Wonderland adaptation. The lands have been ravaged by the Red Queen's troops and she still delights in tormenting others and having heads chopped off. Johnny Depp shows up as the Mad Hatter. He gives a good performance, with his usual flamboyance that matches Burton's style so well. The special effects are hit and miss. The White Rabbit looks great; other CGI character are less lovingly rendered and don't look so well over a decade later. Also, many scenes were clearly designed to be seen in 3D which is a bit of a pet peeve for me. The ending battle between the champions and armies of the Red and White Queens is a little too reminiscent of Lord of the Ring and Narnia, especially since the stakes are less epic here. Wasikowska is just okay as Alice which is a problem since she is in practically every scene. She was not bad but there was no real sparkle or wonder or transformation with her. Her character's growth is justified but not inspiring.

Recommended only if you are a Burton or Depp fan, though both have much more satisfying work elsewhere.