Alice In Wonderland (Movie Review)

My knowledge of Lewis Carroll pretty much ends after a couple of TV movies and an animated Disney film. I've never read the books by Carroll and I'm far from a purist. I came into director Tim Burton's movie armed only with knowledge based on foggy memories and "pop-culture osmosis". So apply that however you will as you consider my review.

Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" is not a remake or just an alternative take on the classic story. It is a sequel of sorts. Alice has been to Wonderland before as a child, but does not remember. And now, once again under pressure to conform to the aristocratic culture around her, Alice finds herself tumbling down the rabbit hole to revisit a strange dreamlike reality.

I've been a fan of Tim Burton for many years and this movie is quite possibly his most exotically beautiful vision yet. Colorful, yet dreary, beautiful yet twisted. There is so much visual imagination poured into this movie that it almost bursts out of the screen. (And no, I did not see it in 3-D.) I wanted to live in this world and interact with these characters.

Performances were wonderful throughout. Johnny Depp is always a standout with no exception here. His Mad Hatter was both goofy and dark. There is always something deeper going on behind those digitally magnified eyes. Helena Bonham Carter was funny, fierce and unpredictable as the Red Queen. Crispin Glover was suitably creepy, though I get the feeling his full potential was left untapped in this movie. (Check out the movie "Willard")

Although this movie sits comfortably in the category of "family film", it does have some darkness and violence to it. Sword and sorcery fans will really dig a battle again a dragon near the end of the movie. I'd love to see what Burton could do making a dark fantasy flick for adults!

So many elements in this film come together so well that it's a shame to point out the weak areas.

First off, is the "Alice returns" story element. This is a very clear subplot that ultimately serves no unique purpose. With a few minor tweaks near the end of the story, this plot element could have been left out completely. I would have preferred a "Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland" that was a re-imagining of the original story, rather than a new vision that still tries to keep continuity with the original. Time was spent on this story point that could have been put to good use elsewhere. Namely, in character development.

With no exception I can think of, this movie contains only 2-dimensional characters who stick to their schtick from beginning to end. Granted, this is what you would expect from a children's story and from the dreamlike world created by Lewis Caroll. But the performances are so good in this movie that subtext and deeper characterization is often presented, but without a script to follow through with.

It is also sometimes hard to understand what is being said. Caroll's poems and stories are known for incorporating nonsense words, and this is probably the case in the instances that I assumed poor diction on the part of the actors. But I can't be sure. And these unintelligible lines that pop up now and then are said with such conviction and subtext that I feels as though I've missed understanding or hearing something that may have been very important to the story. When available on DVD/Blu-ray, I'd recommend hitting that "subtitles" button.

Thematically, this is a traditional "good versus evil" story with a dose of "nonconformity", but these themes aren't dealt with in a compelling way and you probably won't be led to ponder anything of deep value after seeing this movie.

This is a great movie in many respects that I will one day add to my collection. It will be near the top of the list when my son is old enough for dark fantasy but too young for "Lord Of The Rings". Until then I doubt I'll think about it much.

Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 5.5/10