Movie Review by Debbie Winkler
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Mia Wasikowska
Director: Tim Burton
Release Date: 5 March 2010
Language: English
Length: 108 minutes
Movie Rating: PG
View Format: 3-D IMAX Theatre
My Rating: 
Synopsis:
“A 19-year-old Alice (Mia Wasikowska) journeys through Underland, where she experiences strange ordeals and encounters peculiar characters, including the vaporous Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry), the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) and the sadistic Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Matt Lucas and Crispin Glover co-star in director Tim Burton’s bold adaptation of the Lewis Carroll
Review:
So, I am a huge Tim Burton & Johnny Depp fan, as well as a huge fantasy fan, so this hit the movie trifecta for me. I am one of those dorks who camped outside the theatre for 5 hours before it played to see it at 12:01 am on Thursday night. And it was worth every minute of it! I was not a bit disappointed and am glad that I went and saw it in a sold-out theatre with a bunch of other crazed fans as the energy was electric. I purposefully tried to stay away from all the media blitz surrounding this movie so that I would be able to just enjoy it for what it was and not place any more pressure or unrealistic expectations on the film (other than it being another Burton/Depp collaboration, of course) and think that I enjoyed it just as much or more than those who watched everything they could find online. So, no previous knowledge of the film required for enjoyment -- that means that everyone can go and see it and love it!
Tim Burton was the perfect director to helm this film as he has that unique and skewed world view that is needed to really understand Wonderland. If you have ever read the book
The actors are the best of the best in this film. Johnny Depp was the star, of course, and his portrayal of the Mad Hatter changed how I thought of the character. No longer do we see a crazy, happy-go-lucky Hatter, instead we see a man who realizes that his world is heading rapidly towards destruction and is trying to take a stand against it -without anyone realizing what he can actually do. The Hatter had a lot of depth, but still was funny and combined a bit of the best of all of Depp’s characters to create this unique persona. Helena Bonham Carter was a riot as the Red Queen. You literally cannot take your eyes off of her when she is on screen because her head is so huge! I was not sure why Burton chose to portray her this way, but, as you keep watching the movie, you realize it was an ingenious way to keep her the focus of any scene that she is in. Carter made the most of her on-screen time and was hilarious in so many ways. She did a fantastic job. Anne Hathaway surprised me with her portrayal of the White Queen. She surprised me in a good way as she was really a complicated mixture of innocence, purity, death, and a hint of darkness. She was a very interesting character and I would have liked to know more about her. Crispin Glover, who played the Knave of Hearts, was great in his role of a classic villain who is trying to advance himself. The way that he interacts with the Red Queen is very amusing. Alice was very ably portrayed by Mia Wasikowska. She wasn’t necessarily a stand-out for me, but she performed well and I found her believable as Alice. There were so many other big names who loaned their voices to creatures in this film and there were quite a few supporting actors in the film, all of whom did an amazing job and just helped push this movie to another level for me.
I adored the sets of this movie. The colors, the imagery and the fun that this crew had creating Wonderland was readily apparent in every scene. I almost feel like Wonderland was another character in the film as it was vivid, memorable and definitely captured your attention. The use of color was emphasized and was very important as you knew which part of Wonderland you were in -- the Red Queen’s or the White Queen’s territory. And there was so much attention to detail! The Red Queen’s castle and supporters were all dark, hard-edged and pointy. The White Queen’s castle and supporters were light, fluid and curvy. The plants, water, and even the rocks were given shapes, hues and little extra attention to make this world feel real and interactive. If you have the chance to watch this movie in 3-D, do it! You will feel like you are there and who hasn’t dreamed of traveling to Wonderland someday?
The special effects were amazing. The beasts and other monsters that they created for this movie were perfect. They fit into Wonderland, were scary and so detailed in their creation that they were very believable. I definitely want to go visit there someday! The costumes were also created with care and you knew instantly who each character was and what thye did by what they were wearing. Makeup was thoughtfully created to match the vibrant colors and unforgettable Wonderland-feel. I just felt like no detail was too small to be taken care of and paid attention to, which was wonderful as this doesn’t often happen.
If there is any weakness to this movie, it is the plot. It is a simple plot -- Alice returns to Wonderland, everyone persuades her she must be their champion and Alice eventually wins the day. There is nothing special about it or particularly interesting about the basic story, but it is the experiences along the way and what happens before Alice gets to the end that makes this movie great. I must confess that I was shocked when it ended. I could not believe that it was already over! It felt like it was only a few minutes long and I wanted to stay in the world that Burton created for much longer. Also, one other tiny complaint, is that the 3-D animation is used in a more traditional, pre-Avatar way, with objects flying out towards you and startling you at certain points throughout the film so, if you do not care for this type of 3-D animation, watch it in 2-D instead. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and am looking forward to seeing this in the theatre again!
Content:
There is a lot of fantasy action including beasts attacking, battle sequences, “off with their head”-ing, and the like. There are also smoking caterpillars, potions made of dead fingers, a path of dead bodies and other images that are bit much for younger children. It really depends on what your children are used to watching as to if they will be frightened during this movie or not. I have some nephews who are 7 who would really enjoy this movie, but I also have some that I would not recommend it until they are 10 or so. Carefully evaluate your child, but I believe that children ages 8 and up can watch this movie and understand it, though enjoy might be the wrong word! Maybe try it in 2-D first?
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