Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I didn't want to wait until Alice in Wonderland (3D) was in theatres for a long time before I saw it (like Avatar).  But seeing it left me feeling disappointed with what could have been an amazing movie.  Story-wise, I felt like they could have taken the movie in so many differet directions, and it seemed to be lacking the over-the-top quirkiness that Tim Burton's films normally have.  Visually, however, it was up there with the most stunning movie I've seen.

Images from Disney's Alice in Wonderland movie site at
http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/aliceinwonderland/

Helena Bonham Carter killed it as the Red Queen.  She was easily the best character in the film.  Bonham Carter's Red Queen was delightfully insane (a pig as an ottoman?!) and definitely not the kind of person you would want to report to (as did Crispin Glover's the Knave of Hearts).

Mia Masikowska played her role as the naive and adventrous Alice very well.  She was whimsical and a pleasure to watch.  I predict big things will come for Ms. Masikowska.

Johnny Depp was the thing I was most looking forward to, and the most disappointing.  He was not as maniacal as I would expect the Mad Hatter to be.  Depp's Willy Wonka was more mad!  He would randomly speak with a Scottish accent, so so often when he spoke, I would turn to Dan and say "What did he just say?".

The supporting characters were fun to watch.  Anne Hathaway as the White Queen played was very delicate, and moved gracefully  as you would expect the good queen should move.  I didn't like her makeup, which was too dark for the White Queen.  The crazy rabbit at the tea party was hilarious.  I loved the Cheshire Cat as well.

The visual appeal of this movie is huge.  There is lots going on and they use the 3D effects well.  The use of colour was great, and I culd watch it over and over just for the way the movie looked.

But you need more than good characters and stunning backdrop for a good mvie.  It moved very slowly, and I culd feel myself dozing off a bit in the middle.  I would have liked to see more from the supporting characters, and certainly more from the Red Queen.  Despite this, however, i would highly recommend that you do go see it in theatres for the full 3D experience.  Just make sure you drink a big cup of coffee before!