Review of Alice in Wonderland (2010) by Becs D — 09 Jul 2016

I really recommend it in 2D to get the best experience. Johnny Depp was very good as The Mad Hatter. I absolutely loved the 'Exorcist twist' that Burton and Depp gave him to his bipolar characteristics. The whole background story to the characters and how the style of them came about is very interesting (The Red Queen's head supposedly has a tumour on the top of her brain which causes really extreme emotions, White Queen was based on Nigella Lawson etc.) Mia Wasikowska makes for a decent Alice. Anne Hathaway was great! Matt Lucas was brilliant as the Tweedles, very humourous. Michael Sheen, brilliant actor as The White Rabbit. Stephen Fry was delightfully pompous and witty as Cheshire Cat. Crispin Glover was surely amazing as the Knave, so wickid and evil. Paul Whitehouse brought many laughs as the March Hare. Also, Alan Rickman just has the spot-on voice for the Caterpillar, a lovely voice. Same also with Christopher Lee who can surely be the only voice for the Jabberwock (Even though he only had 15 seconds of speaking time, he still sent chills down my spine) Also, a nice little Burton collaberator nod from Michael Gough as the Dodo, who was in other Burton films such as Batman, Batman Returns, Corpse Bride and Sleepy Hollow.

So, the cast are amazing. From a directorial point of view, Burton brings us his take on Wonderland (or Underland rather) and shows us through cartoonish CGI visuals. It is all very beautiful to look at. There are many scenes that are examples of Burton's twisted and unique vision. These include the tarts scene where The Red Queen interrogates her frog servants, accusing one in particular for eating them. The suspense builds up brilliantly, and is a scene full of edgy, dark humour. Another scene also is when we are first introduced to the Hatter's dark side. The reason I posted my rating as 3 stars for a film I have been waiting for for two years, is that now the wait is finally over, I have seen it, and it's an enjoyable film. The only thing is I was expecting it to be Burton's next masterpiece, as pretty much all of his films are. And considering it's surely a match made in heaven, BURTON & CARROLL. I was expecting to be absolutly mesmerized and blown away. But it wasnt a masterpiece. Visually it was fantastic, but otherwise not.

Breath-taking to look at in places. Great performances from some, Burtonesque quirks here and there. Danny Elfman's score is definatly not up their with his best but there was certain moments were it had me literally left with goosebumps all over me.

With the incredible talen behind it, it was somewhat a disappointment. But if your a Carroll fan, there are many little nods to you (a recital of the Jabberwocky poem from The Mad Hatter which was great, little Tea Party sing-song, WHO STOLE MY TARTS?!?! etc.) And if you're a Burton fan, there are some Burton trademarks to enjoy.

Why Is A Raven Like A Writing Desk??? Why indeed :).