Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

Mar 10 2010 by Ian Bunting, Airdrie & Coatbridge

Alice in Wonderland

ALICE in Wonderland is director Tim Burton’s take on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of Alice (Mia Wasikowska) and her trip to a magical world full of fantastic characters.

This version sees Alice as a 19-year-old returning to Wonderland, where she once again links up with old friends including Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and takes on the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).

Tim Burton is one of my favourite directors. He’s a visionary who has created imaginative worlds for everyone from Batman to Willy Wonka to inhabit.

He brings Alice in Wonderland to vibrant visual life. The story doesn’t work quite as well, though, and the film feels like it’s missing something.

A slow start complete with ‘comedy’ costume drama and Alice’s growth issues doesn’t help matters and the movie lacks true adventure for much of its first half.

Another reason for a lack of oomph is Wasikowska’s average lead performance. She lacks charisma and appears to be in dire need of a blood transfusion. Her nymph-like look reminded me of a young Kate Hudson but she just doesn’t convince enough as someone plunged into a crazy world.

Depp’s Mad Hatter evokes memories of his mad-cap turn as Willy Wonka. With bushy ginger hair, green eyes and an occasional, pitch-perfect, Scottish accent, Depp pulls through for his mentor Burton again with an original, flamboyant turn.

Best acting honours, however, go to Burton’s wife Bonham Carter. The Red Queen is deliciously evil and funny as she sends frogs to their death and plays polo using hedgehogs.

The supporting cast features top British talent. Sheen is joined by, among others, Matt Lucas (Tweedledee/Tweedledum), Stephen Fry (Cheshire Cat), Alan Rickman (Blue Caterpillar) and Timothy Spall (Bayard).

All provide quality voice work but some characters feel quite pointless and are given very little screen time.

Alice in Wonderland provides Burton with an ideal visual landscape. His Wonderland is quite grey at times, particularly the Mad Hatter’s decaying tea table, but the White Queen’s bright palace, lovely waterfall backdrops and a fiery Jabberwocky attack provide enough colourful beauty.

This ranks as Burton’s most kid-friendly movie. Crooked trees and severed fingers hint at his dark past but the psychedelic imagery and characters are kept to a minimum.

The final battle, featuring a terrifically clever chess board visual, is a satisfying action climax and the film does get more purpose, and better, in the second half.

Alice in Wonderland has plenty going for it. Kids will love it, the special effects are great and Depp and Bonham Carter are memorably mad.

It just doesn’t have quite enough magic to rate alongside animation’s, or Burton’s, best.

Rating - 7 out of 10.