Thanks for checking out our Alice in Wonderland review.
Genre: Fantasy
Directed by: Tim Burton
Staring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman
Released: March 5, 2010
THE GENERAL IDEA
19-year-old Alice returns to the magical world from her childhood adventure, where she reunites with her old friends and learns of her true destiny: to end the Red Queen’s reign of terror.
THE GOOD
This film is a visual masterpiece. Seriously eyecatching. Tim Burton is stereotyped for going with bleak dark tones and this is the virtual opposite of all that. Where there needs to be darkness to illustrate a mood, its still used but this is eyecandy that goes beyond seeing.
Everything in Wonderland – sorry Underland (Alice misnamed it on her first visit) is tweaked. Even the most human looking of characters is somewhat altered, from Depp’s unreal eyes to Stayne’s (Crispin Glover) unnatural lanky form. It just adds a tiny element of fantasy to this unreal world that is populated already by unreal things. Alice is the only contstant “normal” in the visual world.
You can’t stop yourself from just “looking around” even when other things are going on.
And the characters are all great. Tweedle Dee and Dum are not irritating, but still idiots. The Red Queen is irrational, but not annoying. The Hatter is mad without being obnoxious (Depp nails it again). There is a careful balance in all the characters that make them impact without over doing it.
And Mia Wasikowska? Careful. You will fall in love with her. Maybe not Claire Danes magical, but this girl is infectious. In the trailers and images it didn’t look so, which worried me about this film, but she is just so likable. She is truly a person that is best experienced to grasp her full scope. You see a photo and she’s pretty, but after experiencing her in character, that same photo suddenly has more appeal.
And the creature designs are great and effects are incredible. Everything in this other world is just so powerful it is an experience
THE BAD
I just love Anne Hathaway. A natural beauty that doesn’t have to try too hard, just seems to be trying too hard here. Her “White Queen” is supposed to be the graceful elegant overthrown former queen of Underland, which her sister the Red Queen hates for her pure beauty and ability to command undying loyalty for her beauty. Hathaway was awkwardly unattractive in this. Even with her pale white features and beautiful dress, the constant “look at me, I am floating” gestures just seem empty and “put on”. And the makeup designers really should have opted against the contrasting lips and brows, because it makes her look rediculous.
Serously, she takes something away from this film where EVERYTHING sucks you in.
OVERALL
This is one of those films where it gels as a whole and the very experience leaves you energized walking out of the theater. Seriously a great movie even with its one glaring flaw (for me)
There is also a scene near the end where Alice remembers her first visit to Underland, and its almost like looking at the original Disney animated feature film scene for scene, almost hinting that this is a true sequel to that movie.
I give Alice in Wonderland a 9 out of 10
I have to disagree with the comment on Anne Hathaway. I felt like her character added something great but what really pulled this film down for me was the change from:
“Alice is a curious girl in an eccentric but intellectual reality where she is lead to question everything she believes in”
to
“Alice is the chosen one. She is the world’s greatest warrior and there is going to be an awesome Narnia-style battle up in here”.
I just didn’t get it one bit.
i just seen the movie with my friend and her 2 kids. The kids hated the movie but loved the effects. To me rodney when u said “Sorry, I didnt see any Jack Sparrow or Willie Wonka in there at all.” i laughed my ass off. All i could see was sparrow and wonka. Funny cause when batman was john connor every one seen batman. This movie was not for me at all. Sitting there for that long watching a movie that has all ready been done to death was the worst part, but what really made it worse is watching that college humor bit then watching the movie. They nailed it dead on with burton yet you can tell he tried to do different things with this movie. The main thing that i didnt like about this movie was that it had the overall feeling of a burton film which for me was enough to drop it down on the fandom meter. If you like children stories turned into something that has a stronger flavor for adults this is it….but in the end to me they get mixed up and its a movie to make Burtons colorful fantasy world in his head come alive (which for most will be great but for me its sickening….kinda like when hot girls wear Ed Hardy clothes and get lots of tattoo’s that every other female has…and they do this to try to be different)
I am a Burton fanatic, and the Alice books are some of my favourites. However, this didnt really do anything for me.
I’m just really tired of people trying to make the Alice story something it isnt: an epic tale of good vs. evil. Alice is a serious of sequential nonsense events, that tie together only through the lead character. The books work based almost entirely on Carroll’s imagination, and the sheer, mounting absurdity of it all.
Attempting to add a plot to this tale (especially when its as irritatingly cliched as this one) just does not work, and I wish that Burton would have just given us a series of loosely connected vignettes relying on his imagination and visual flair to carry audiences through; it couldve been great.
That being said, visually this film is great, to be sure. One of the best recently, even better then Avatar, from an art design standpoint. And Helena Bonham Carter finally proved to me that she should be in a Tim Burton movie. She was absolutely fantastic. So was Stephen Fry, and I quite liked Hathaway, though Depp irritated me here.
My big problem with the film is the utter lack of “Alice” character development. She just gets pulled around through the whole thing.
You might want to watch or read other Alice stuff. That’s all she ever gets to do.
But I disagree about character development. She goes from feeling she has no control over her life, then is thrust into this fantasy world where she is told she has no control over her destiny.
Its not until she takes control that she realizes she always was in control of her path. In the epilogue its pretty clear this is a different girl than the movie started out with. That’s development.
I actually enjoyed it the second time around more, I think. (Yes, I saw and paid for it twice in two days… damn IMAX prices). Although there is nothing exciting or thrilling about the plot points, the plot in all of the Alice movies was never really the point. It was always about Wonderland itself. I think some of the critics have been harsh and am glad to see that someone enjoyed it as just a really fun and visually stunning film. Good review and I agree! Poor Anne Hathaway and those eyebrows and black lipstick… so sad.
The thought the movie was beautifully filmed and set…but the script just plain sucked. Special effects does not a movie make. 6 out of 10.
Its OK, I wont waste time watching it again. Perhaps its a better movie for a younger audience…
Cool review, thanks for posing it Rodney. :)
Going tonight to see it.
I don’t get it, you said everything is tweak in wonderland cuz all the characters look non human, shouldn’t it look the same Anne Hathaway, i mean in real life “yes she’s beautiful,u dont have to worry bout her looking unattractive” but in a tim burton film if she was more human lookin that might of thrown you out of the film, remember your in wonderland full of weird lookin beings and besides she was playing like ah exagerated kind of person with an awe and wonder in her face. Honestly i have to see the movie again, not cuz i like it, but couldn’t help but to think depp was basically the same frantic character he played as willy wonka, it kind of distracted me, it’s almost recycle when i was watchin it
The point is that her character was supposed to be the most beautiful person in Wonderland. She rose to power because everyone falls in love with her over her beauty. And she just wasn’t.
You can rationalize why you think she was allowed to be unattractive if you want. To me, her character portrayal was weak, and she just wasnt at all pretty.
And Johnny Depp’s “Jack sparrow” Madd Hatter was great? No one can say they didn’t hear Jack Sparrow jump out every time the Madd Hatter raised his voice. The movie was a CGI mess. Carter was good but not GREAT as “The Red Queen” a little work on her angry yelling would of gone a long way. The horse had to be CGI?!!! Throw in a real tree or something. Yes it’s wonderland and CGI helps with making strange creatures and scenes but don’t tell me they couldn’t use FX make-up on the Flowers or a fat suit on Tweedle dee and Tweedle dum? and the break dancing!!!!!!I mean really. Universal people were at our showing and surveyed everyone there. They actually apologized to us for the movie being so bad!!! We have different opinions/taste I know but to read your review of this movie and say that the big flaw was “The White Queen”? Makes me question the way to really review a movie.
ok and about depp performance, im not saying its bad, but you gotta admit its basically like a rehash and willy wonka, i dare u mr rodney, to watch charlie and the chocolate factory again and watch alice in wonderland a second time and then tell me if the characters were not the same. Listen I like johnny Depp, but i think he needs to do a movie where he’s not all frantic all the time, its seems like that’s all he can do and i’ll go as far as to say he might get bored some day by repeating the same character.
Sorry, I didnt see any Jack Sparrow or Willie Wonka in there at all. When he was soft spoken he was British, and when he gets angry he turns into a raging Scotsman.. Nothing like Jack or Wonka.
Eccentric and odd, yeah… thats why they got Depp, but I didnt see anything of his past characters in here outside of the standard “not normal unhinged” vibe you get from his characters. There is one brief moment when Alice says something about his “Mind” and the word triggers him into some deep thought like in Wonka, but he didn’t act anything like the character when it happens or throughout the rest of the movie.
You might want to watch THOSE again. Hatter is nothing like them.
i saw two movies yesterday one was great & the other was ok. alice was weak as hell. yes the visual were good but if that all it takes to make a great movies it transformers 2 best movie of the year. story was week and you really did not care about the chacaters. acting was bad even depp was too much in this movie. why is this in 3d just to make more money. the other was brooklyn finest and it was great well acted, well written and wont make near the amount of money that alice in wonderland will.
I wasn’t much of a fan for the movie. I think they should UP the brightness in ALL 3D movies. Wonderland seemed too dark to me and not as vibrant as the trailer and images I had seen made me believe to be. But maybe it was just the 3D that made it that way.
I felt the story was lacking as well. There just wasn’t much to it. Was it a bad movie? Not at all. But was it a movie I could see myself seeing again? Maybe if someone brought over the blu-ray, but that would be about it. 6/10 for me.
BTW, Helena-Bonham Carter was awesome in her role. I’ve never been a fan for her, but I think she nailed this role! Thank God for her husband, right?
I disagree about the effects… i never judge a movie by that..
But what you said about the story was spot on.
I mean, a movie with the name of Alice in Wonderland should live up to the first one… if not- WHY make another?
The ending could have been different… im tired of seeing movies have the same story and ending. Hollywood needs to stop this cashgrab shit and put some effort in these movies. Seriously.
I think Burton was more worried in Burtonizing Wonderland for people to say ‘Oh its Wonderland but from Tim Burtons POV” then actually writing a solid story that would hold up.
So if Shutter Island had colorful dolls and shiny objects, and AiWL had the great story and solid screen play…would it have gotten a 9 and this an 8?
The ending in this movie was painful for me to bear.
From the VERY beginning of the movie i said
“I can visualize the ending of this movie already, and its the same ending ive seen in 8,000 movies already… please- Disney: surprise me”
needless to say i walked out saying “FUCK.”
(i cant elaborate, it would be considered major spoiling)
If Shutter Island was bright and full of colours… NO.
I can’t believe you even bothered with that lame comparison. Each movie is judged and rated on their own. You cannot compare ratings of films to one another like that.
Moreso, you cannot compare a suspense drama to a whimsical fantasy and say which was better. Aside from each film being judged for what it is, now you are adding a whole new pile of variables that has nothing to do with the film and everything to do with the viewer.
You are allowed to have your own feelings on the film and judge it yourself, but don’t judge me or question my ratings based on something as silly as that.
Awesome :)
No, youre right. Everyone has different feelings for every movie. (i hate Bladerunner love ROTF) but im not judging YOUR opinion, I just dont understand why the Shutter Island review just SOUNDED 50 times better then this. Rodney, read your Shutter Island review, and then read this. As a reader, i was heavily confused. Take 10 secs out of your day and without looking at the overall score of both reviews, read them from the POV of the reader.
I actually AM questioning your review (not your opinion, i dont know you), but not like in a bad way i just said that sarcastically, but i can see how in internet talk, with no “tone” you could read it and have it come off as “douche-ish”
I tried making a joke and ask at a question at once, but i have dry sense of humor.
MY TAKE:
It just didnt live up to my anticipation (which wasnt high at all) some things were great about the movie… the “little things”. But the story was painfully average.
If you want to remake or sequel a classic, make sure you give the audience something else then the same ending everyone’s seen 67,000 times.
Im watching this again in 3D on Sunday to see if it as better in 3D
But if you read my Shutter Island review, it is about how it affects me as a suspense drama. It cannot be compared at all to how this movie made me feel.
I judge a movie by the movie. Not how it compares to other movies. And you cannot compare which is “better” between a whimsical fantasy and a thinking suspense drama. There are no lines.
Yeah I can! Watch:
Alice in Wonderland was better then Shutter Island to you.
In general, you cant compare them, ob-v. Two completely different genres. But i think its safe to say which you liked more.
I think that the best part of this movie was the way Alice thought, just the little things. Her personality and her decisions. The way she thought about people or life.
Ooh you should have like, after the review, spoiler discussion posts that way no one is afraid of discussing the movie but ruining it for everyone else.
Alice was more ENJOYABLE for me, yes. Is it a better film? No. Neither is better than the other.
That’s like saying Ice cream is better than Sushi. Two things I happen to love… neither is “better” than each other even though they are both foods. One is a dessert, and the other is a main course. Each does well at what each of them are.
I compare a film against itself. Did it do its job? Does it entertain? Is it worth seeing? What did I like, and does it outweigh what I didn’t like. Thats what a review is. OPINION.
Alice did a hell of a job as a fantasy film and entertained the crap out of me. (Just got back from seeing it a second time in two days) and so did Shutter Island. Did I like one more than the other. In different ways, yes. But did I say one was BETTER than the other? No.
Really? Hm
Thats so odd
Im a little different.
Like- i love Chinese food and i love ice cream cake. but i prefer Chinese. Same with movies.
That goes to show ya’ how different everyone is.
“The more you knooooooooowww”
Rodney, stop repeating movies! save your money for Titans and Kick-Ass. thats what im doing.
Do what i do- get a movie piggy bank. I can afford movies, but i save that way i can see shit in IMAX.
Maybe its just me, but seeing two films doesn’t put me in the poor house.
It does leave me less time to see other movies, but its not about money. Still have to catch Finest this weekend if I can fit it in.
Im only 19
My parents pay for everything… but movies i have to pay for myself.
I leave for the Marines on may… THEN i may have money for whatever i want.
Did you see the 3D version or regular?
I saw it in 3D, but aside from feeling a little more immersive, I didn’t see any reason for this to absolutely BE in 3D.
But it is extremely visual and highly detailed, so it does give something.
I was quite worried when the other reviews came out spouting 5’s and 4’s, but if you really enjoyed it enough to give it a 9/10, that’s enough for me. Good review, Rodney!
Well, lets temper this a bit with the fact that Rodney gave Valentines Day a 7 out of 10…he has some work to do before we’re square on that one.
Tongue firmly in cheek Rodney.
Thanks for the review…looking forward to this!
Anyone else catch the online bit about Burton’s ‘inspiration’ for how Hathaway played The White Queen? Nigella Lawson. Yum…
I have to disagree about Anne Hathaway, she was amazing in this movie, and looked as stunning as ever. She added something important for me, and the film wouldn’t have been the same if she acted in any other way.
Anne Hathaway is a fine actress, but I don’t seem to find her as attractive as everyone else for some reason. I don’t really find her attractive at all actually. Gemma Arterton, however, already has my 10 bucks for prince of persia.
good to hear, This is one that the trailer put me off completly!
Helena B.Carter kinda annoys me a bit more w/ every Tim Burton movie..
now I’m probally going to watch in theatre. darn it Rodney you cost me 10 bucks!-ha
Yes yes yes, I’m realy lookin forward to this movie. Can’t wait to watch this in the Belgian Theaters.
This site is my guideline in the movie world. I’ve got the same tast and since John left I was afraid this could change, but it didn’t.
Thanks you guys, doing a very good job.
Ben