Movie Review: ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

Movie review by David Blackwell

108 minutes, rated PG

ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1

STUDIO: Walt Disney Pictures/ Team Todd/ Roth Films/ the Zanuck Company/ Tim Burton Productions

Theatrical RELEASE DATE: 3-5-2010

STARRING Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Crispin Glover (Stayne), Stephen Fry (voice of Cheshire Cat), Alan Rickman (voice of Blue Caterpillar)

WRITTEN by Linda Woolverton (screenplay), based on the books by Lewis Carroll

Directed by Tim Burton

Alice is having the same nightmare for years about her trip to Wonderland. She thought it was all a dream. She is about to become engaged to a Duke when she decides to follow a White Rabbit in a waistcoat down the rabbit hole into Underland or Wonderland. She is faced with a world she thought was a dream. The Red Queen has taken over the place. Everyone hopes Alice can step up and slay the Jaberwocky to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror. The Mad Hatter is still quite mad as a hatter while Alice seems clueless and confused as usual.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND is a visual delight. Tim Burton puts it all into the visuals. I do wish he had a better script for the film. It seems like a confused girl who needs to make a choice about her destiny while Johnny Depp (I mean Mad Hatter) steals the show in every scene he is in (and one wonders if Tim Burton would have been happier about making a film about the Mad Hatter instead of Alice). The Chesire Cat is cute with his hat stealing habits while the White Queen is a prissy pacificist. The movie does mine the source material for this new story, but I wished ALICE IN WONDERLAND was more of an adventure to be taken on. It is just a visual film with not much of an exciting story. It is forgettable entertainment that makes you wish that Alice and the Hatter had kissed each other in addition to Tim Burton making the film about the Hatter instead.

This movie review is (c)3-5-2010 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. No Mad Hatters or Chesire Cats will be turned away if they need someone to talk to. Send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com