Girl A: Hey! Let's watch Alice and the Wonderland.
Girl B: Alice in Wonderland.
Girl A: Alice in the Wonderland?
I'm not sure if they did go to watch Alice in Wonderland, but lucky me, I did and in all of its IMAX glory.
I'm sure that a lot of people will have issues with Burton's reimagining of this classic tale based on Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. You don't mess with the classics, someone is bound to be offended.
Story-wise the movie could have gone farther. There is so much more to learn about the characters, particularly Alice. We know she has all these dreams and she's a visionary like her father, a little crazy as all the best people are. We know she's being forced to marry a snooty, ill-mannered Englishman. But we don't know how she mustered enough strength, towards the end of the movie, to be the Alice that Wonderland needed.
In general the story is a bit disjointed and has some holes that need filling up.
But combined with the amazing visuals with the Burton trademark of dark surrealness and this movie goes up a notch higher in my book. The red queen's home is an elaborate castle decorated with hearts. Even her most trusted general has a heart for an eyepatch. The red queen's soldiers have armors designed like playing cards. She rests her aching feet on a pig belly. Alice, played by a model, goes through several wonderful costume changes, it's like watching a fashion show. Then there are the action sequences: Alice running through wonderland, fighting huge, frightening creatures, shrinking and growing and meeting all kinds of character - from the cheshire cat to the hare. Imagine all these in 3D.
Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter as the red queen shine best in this movie. The actor who plays Alice isn't given much material to work with, given the lack in character development, but she does try. And can I just say, she's one hot Alice.
Alice in Wonderland is not a life-changing movie. But it's an experience one should not miss.
My grade for Alice: B+
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