Alice In Wonderland (3D)

The Plot

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

Once again we see the combination of Tim Burton, Johnny D and Helena Bonham-Carter, a combination that has had some mixed results in terms of commercial success. The odd member in this mix of talent, is neither actor nor director but studio and ratings.

Review

Tim Burton is not suited for the Disney world, especially movies that are rated PG. When I first heard that Tim was looking to a dark version of the original film and create a visual fantasy, I got very excited. Perhaps it was all the twisted fairy tales I read as a kid authored by Roald Dahl that got me in that thinking,

The problem is that characters seem strangely cast in regards to Alice and Anne Hathaway playing the White Witch. Anne Hathaway constantly looked uncomfortable to the extent that many people doubted the sincerity in the actions her character exhibited as darker tendencies seemed more fitting.

What is remarkable is JD's ability to submerge himself into a character and really bring them to life. When you see the Mad Hatter, JD is no more and you believe him to be real. Stephen Fry as Cheshire the Cat is magnificent, and his scenes accompanied the visual displays steal the moments at times.

But despite this, the film was not good in my humble opinion, with the story being very weak. Especially when you consider the original films made. Also the book has gone on to become a classic, but I just did not feel intellectually stimulated by the movie.

Everything just felt rushed, for example, the sword that Alice needed was given special attention. She needed to attain it and The White Witch telling Alice how when the moment came the Sword would know what to do. Well none of that was fed into the final scenes, and the sword almost became ordinary. If anything, the final scene was a little reminiscent of Lord of the Rings.

Visually the movie is pleasing and worth a watch for that alone, but as a complete film, it felt rushed and weak from a story line. Characters like The White Witch felt very awkward.

For me I have to rate this movie 2.5/5 stars, but it is still worth seeing especially for the children