Movie Review: Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (2010)
March 6th, 2010 CommentsCategories: John J. Joex, Movie Reviews, Reviews
Alice in Wonderland delivers a visually stunning, though artistically vapid film apparently calculated to launch a new fantasy franchise.
By John J. Joex
Rating: 3 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 on their rendition of Alice in Wonderland they manage to deliver a visually compelling story that revitalizes the world that Carroll imagined for 21st century movie-going audiences, though it seems to lack some of 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 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 previously 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” (I do not recall if they ever provided an explanation of the name change beyond stating that Alice had mispronounced it previously; probably just did it because they can trademark the altered 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 setting that really captures the spirit Carroll’s book. Again, though, he does that on a visual level. Unfortunately, the script strays from the twists of logic, conundrums, and nonsense that made the book a 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 them tell her what to do), relate back to the real world and change her when she returns.
So ultimately this Alice fails to deliver the madcap antics and the celebration of eccentricity that you would expect from Burton and Depp and also never demonstrates the heart and soul of their better work. And that puts this movie very much in the same camp as Avatar: a visual masterpiece that lacks a story to equal its technical accomplishments. And I’m guessing this is more the result of corporate decisions trumping artistic direction. By all appearances, Disney certainly seems to be setting this up as franchise that they hope will 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 saleability 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 would create, 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 want: a sequel-friendly movie with general appeal even though it may be artistically vapid.
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, Big Fish, and A Nightmare Before Christmas. It does have the potential to grow on you, though, sort of like the last film mentioned did. It’s worth seeing for its technical accomplishments alone, much like Avatar, just don’t go in expecting another Burton masterpiece and you will not be too disappointed.
You can check showtimes in your area and buy tickets online for Alice in Wonderland and other movies now playing at Fandango.com:






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