Review of Alice in Wonderland (2010) by Abe C — 10 Oct 2013

It's fair to say that there are few stories out there as eccentric, imaginative and downright weird as that of the little girl who falls down the rabbit hole. Despite it's age, Alice in Wonderland is a tale that has constantly been reinvented and reinterpreted by film directors pretty much since the birth of the medium itself (for those interested in a rundown check out March 2010's edition of Sight&Sound). Like most people in their 20s I grew up with the Disney version, which I loved but was always more than a little freaked out by. With this in mind, Tim Burton seemed to be the perfect choice of director to bring out the darkness in the story via his trademark goth-lite style.

It's a shame then that Burton's film is a bit of a disappointment. I went to see it in 3D and, while I know I'm probably prone to use Avatar as a benchmark, I felt the visuals just didn't cut it. I really wish Burton had stuck with using stop-motion animation with this film; the whole thing would've had a much more macabre feel to it. As it is I felt that it uncomfortably straddled the fence between gothic and Disney. As this was Burton's first time directing an entire film with green screen I guess we can cut him some slack. I also read somewhere that he was finding it difficult to work in this medium, which hopefully means he'll go back to using stop-motion in future films. Burton's story is also very different to the original and it seemed like parts of the film were needlessly long in order to compensate for some of these changes.

In terms of casting however I think Burton was spot-on. Predictably, Johnny Depp was right at home in the role of the Mad Hatter, and brought his own brand of whimsy to the role. Slipping into a Scottish accent throughout the film though was a bit of a weird addition to the character. And the dance at the end... I mean, what can I say about that? I don't think it quite worked. Similarly, Mia Wasikowska brought a freshness to the role of Alice. It was interesting to see her portrayed as a young woman rather than a child, and I think it worked well to have her using Wonderland as an escape from her approaching adulthood and the responsibility (and restriction - this film is set in the Victorian era) that comes with that for a woman. I like the fact that Alice was a bit of a free-spirited tomboy. Helena Bonham Carter was also great as the despotic Red Queen and gave some nice touches to the role. The supporting cast was strong too; Stephen Fry and Alan Rickman added their usual drawling wit to the Cheshire Cat and the Blue Caterpillar, and Anne Hathaway played the White Queen well.

Despite the cast however, I just felt that this was a film that could've been much more. For a 3D film made by one of the most creative directors around the landscape of Wonderland was surprisingly dull, lacking the colour and surrealism that makes the story so memorable. I can't help but think that working with green screen technology was a big mistake for Burton, and one that has cost him dearly.