Alice in Blunder-I mean, Wonder-land

by PotionsMaster@evpl on Tuesday, March 16 2010, 11:54am. Viewed 908 times.
EVPL Blogs » Blogs » Movies Blog » Alice in Blunder-I mean, Wonder-land

Alright, that sounds a bit melodramatic.  It was an enjoyable film.  It just suffered from lackluster dialogue, gaping plot holes, and flat characters.  After hearing mixed reviews about Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland', I decided it was best to view it on the regular screen, not IMAX3-D.  I didn't feel like I was missing anything special.  Yes, the Cheshire Cat would be interesting to see floating inches in front of my nose, but it wasn't necessary in order to feel the same way about the movie. 

Now don't get me wrong; I liked the movie.  It was a mindless adventure that I didn't have to think my way through.  In fact, it became less enjoyable the more I thought while watching it.  There is a fight between the White Queen and the Red Queen.  The only indication on why it's there is when the Red Queen screams, "I should be queen because I'm the eldest!"  And it's implied that the White Queen would be a better one than the Red, but the reason 'why' isn't explained, either.  It is never explained why Alice is the only one who can take on the Jabberwocky, and the same for practically every occurance in 'Underland'. (Alice mis-heard it the first time she was there and called it 'Wonderland'.)  The only part that made sense was why the Mad Hatter acted like he had (according to MSN.com's review with a similar title) post-traumatic stress disorder.   

It is dark for anyone under 13, but for anyone over it's a visual spectacle worth seeing, if nothing else for the crazily gorgeous world created in computers.  Speaking from an artistic sense, I loved Johnny Depp's make-up job, but the hair made him look like Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka gone wrong.  (Funnily enough, I didn't really like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, either...Burton is losing his touch.)  It was exciting to see the climactic battle.  The script tried to be poignant, drawing back to a quote Alice's father said in the beginning; it would have worked better if Alice repeatedly refered to it instead of just at the end.  The supporting cast was really the most interesting part about the movie.  All in all, I would give it 1 1/2 Star's out of five.  If you know someone with a big screen TV, rent it and watch it on that.  You won't be missing anything.

Comments (7)

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MediaPhile@evpl wrote
on Wednesday, March 17 2010, 8:56am

I pretty much agree with your verdict.  Although I think Johnny still has it.

PotionsMaster@evpl wrote
on Wednesday, March 17 2010, 9:57am

Oh, no dispute: Johnny Depp is still a good actor.  Tim Burton is just banking on the fact that people like his dark and twisted way of looking at life and has either grown lazy or is simply uninspired anymore.  One might even consider Alice in Wonderland a sell-out on his part.  I don't fault the actors in this one bit; they did the best with what they had.  They just didn't have very much to work with.

professor.knowsitall@evpl wrote
on Wednesday, March 17 2010, 10:47am

Ouch...I liked the movie.  Not spectacular, but I'd give it 3-3.5 stars out of 5.

But I'm not a big Tim Burton fan.  So maybe that has something to do with it.

KickinLibrarian@evpl wrote
on Wednesday, March 17 2010, 2:22pm

It was an ok movie.  Definitely too dark for littler kids.  I wish I would have saved my money and just seen it on regular screen.  The 3D was not work the extra money.  

HRevvdon@evpl wrote
on Wednesday, March 17 2010, 4:16pm

So much for my weekend plans...I'll stay home with a book...again.

PotionsMaster@evpl wrote
on Thursday, March 18 2010, 8:58am

There's nothing wrong with staying home with a book!  You could even read the original Alice in Wonderland.  If you're curious about the movie, see a matinee.  I love the art and the environment.  The story is the biggest problem, but if you aren't watching the movie for the story, it's very enjoyable.

MediaPhile@evpl wrote
on Thursday, March 18 2010, 4:52pm

I almost hate that so many new movies are coming out in IMAX 3-D.  Up to now everyone going to the movie theatre was experiencing the same movie, even if they didn't have a digital TV and blueray player at home.  Now we will never know what we are missing and maybe wish we had shelled out the extra money.  With IMAX it's not just the 3D but also the screen size, sound quality, etc.