Our ongoing series looking at movies that took the blockbuster genre into the realms of excess. Note that these reviews may contain spoilers.
By John J. Joex
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 Stars
At first blush, one might think that for an updated version of Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice in Wonderland what better pairing than dilettante of the eccentric Tim Burton as director and typecast bucking superstar Johnny Depp in the lead role (that’s as the Mad Hatter, not Alice). The two have paired up on multiple occasions and delivered some spectacular films including the all-time classic Edward Scissorhands (their first team-up). And while their rendition the Alice in Wonderland manages to deliver a visually compelling story that brings to life the world that Carroll imagined for 21st century movie-going audiences, it definitely lacks the depth and soul that you might expect of a Burton/Depp collaboration.
The story of the girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole has actually been adapted over a dozen times worldwide on film and for television (including a previous Disney animated version in 1951), so wisely Burton chose to make this movie as a sequel of sorts to the original book (which had its own sequel in print by Carroll titled Through the Looking Glass). Alice is twenty now in the movie and she does not remember her previous adventures in the “curiouser and curiouser” world except as a vague recollection from a dream. She finds that her mother has arranged for her to marry a wealthy nobleman whom she does not particularly care for. When he asks for her hand (in front of a large audience) she runs off in pursuit of the white rabbit she had seen lurking around earlier that day and falls down a rabbit hole (didn’t catch if she swallowed a red pill, though). Here, she experiences the same situation upon her first arrival that readers of the original book are familiar with. However, we quickly find that she has made a return trip to “Underland” (apparently Alice mispronounced it the first time around, and also Disney can trademark that altered version of the name).
Alice meets this new world’s colorful collection of characters whom she does not remember and who are unsure whether she is the “real” Alice. In short order, she hooks up with the Mad Hatter (Depp) and the story of her return to Wonderland (er, Underland) is off an rolling. Sort of.
As a feast for the eyes, this movie soars. Tim Burton applies his mastery of visual story-telling to create a stunning, bizarre, and at times creepy setting that really captures the spirit Carroll’s book. But I must emphasize that he does that on a visual level. Unfortunately, the script strays from the twists of logic, conundrums, and nonsense that made the book an anarchic classic of fantastical literature. In fact, it instead delivers a fairly straightforward fantasy story. You see, the Red Queen has subjugated the land and keeps it under her yoke employing the Jabberwocky (who as it turns out in this movie is just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill dragon) as her strong-arm. But a magical scroll has prophesized that Alice will return to the land and use the Vorpal Sword to slay the beast. That’s it. That’s the story. A standard, by-the-numbers fantasy plot with some colorful, eccentric characters thrown into the mix to tie it back to its source material. Oh, and Alice’s experiences in Underland ,which help her she decide that she will not let others tell her what to do (even though she ends up letting others tell her what to do), relate back to the real world and change her when she returns. The madcap world of Carroll’s brilliant Alice in Wonderland reduced to Hollywood formula.
Thus ultimately this Alice fails to deliver the zany antics and celebration of eccentricity that you would expect from Burton and Depp and also never demonstrates the heart and soul of their better work. And even though Burton did manage to deliver a near visual masterpiece with his Alice in Wonderland, the shortfalls of the story ultimately undermine its technical accomplishments. I’m guessing this is more the result of corporate decisions trumping artistic direction, at least that’s what I would like to believe. By all appearances, Disney certainly seems to be setting this up as franchise that can remain viable for years to come. So I can see where they may have pushed for a “safer” story for the movie that will pilot the series. And sure, I can see where Disney would embrace eccentricity and imagination, but only so far as it enhances the salability of the product. And much like corporate decisions pushed Burton’s remake of the Planet of the Apes out of his control in the interest of the franchise it was suppose to create (but failed, more on that from Blockbuster Overload at this link), I have to believe that similar forces guided the final product here (otherwise I have to finally give in and admit that Tim Burton has lost his touch, and I’m not ready to do that yet). With Planet of the Apes, though, the tinkering from above ultimately destroyed the movie and any chance of sequels. With Alice in Wonderland, it appears they delivered just what the studio brass would wanted: a sequel-friendly movie with general appeal even though it may be artistically vapid (and it did end up bringing in over $1 billion worldwide at the Box Office).
So while Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland may not be the disaster that was the Planet of the Apes, it also falls well short of the best work of his career like Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Ed Wood, and A Nightmare Before Christmas. And it appears to have done so mostly because corporate interests elevated the product above its potential for any artistic statements. Still, it’s worth seeing for its technical accomplishments, if nothing else, just don’t approach it expecting another Burton masterpiece and you will not be too disappointed.
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