The Red Right Hand
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND
You've Got A Very Important Date

Director
Tim Burton

Starring
Mia Wasikowska
Johnny Depp
Helena Bonham Carter
Crispin Glover
Anne Hathaway

Carrol's Wonderland stories were a logician's satirical look at a society bound by vice and obscure traditions, told in funny rhymes and play-on-words that would amuse his primary audience. In my opinion, Alice's various adventures in Wonderland are as important, baffling and unique now as they were when first published. Tim Burton, however, appears to have dismissed these basic origins and subtle nuances to create his own vision of the Wonderland universe. Unfortunately for us all, it's not even close to the source material.

Both Return To Oz and Hook were two films that went back to readdress beloved classics but failed to make much of an impact; etching their own place in cult history but hardly works of extraordinary brilliance. This film feels like Burton's own addition to this brief list in almost every way. Set years after Alice first stumbles into Wonderland, young Ms. Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska in a very drippy, nothingy performance) returns once again, undergoing the exact same trials and tribulations depicted in her first visit (based more on the popular conception of Carrol's story as opposed to the actual books). What follows is a barrage of familiar faces voiced by a host of exceptional acting talent while the audience is still trying to figure out if this is a sequel, prequel, reimagining or .. or what?

The problems don't necessarily lie in what has been included or missed out but more for the fact that this project should never have been undertaken in the first place. A very similar story was featured in the very promising video game, American McGhee's Alice; in which, Alice goes a bit insane after her parents die and she returns to Wonderland to find it an incredibly sinister and twisted place. One would think Tim Burton heard about this release and tried to tame it down considerably and throw in a 3D element to rake in more money; a 3D element which offered nothing as compelling as Avatar, relying heavily on 'spears out of the screen' moments. Similar to Burton's Planet Of The Apes and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, there are many positive and commendable elements but most cinemagoers over the age of eight are going to have a hard time with this release.

First off, I saw this film in 3D and had I watched a regular version I would have been even less impressed. The visual design is expectedly dark and haunting and only at times feels like a green-screened CGI undertaking. The animated creatures and The Queen Of Hearts' [Bonham Carter] humongous head are also pretty well done but there are so many elements that bring the effort down; Crispin Glover playing a seven foot tall knave comes to mind. In addition to the startling visuals, we have the characters and performances. Curiously enough, the animated animals seem to steal the show, highlighting exactly what the human counter parts are lacking. Other than that, everything is formulaic and predictable of a Burton flick (something I'm not known to comment on as a negative). After an unnecessarily weighty running time, a flourish of characters and faces (that felt little more than a fan service) and pacing that could give Twilight a run for its money, all I had to say was, "Well what was the point of that?"

Release Date:
5th March 2010

The Scene To Look Out For:
Two things in particular offered a slight reprieve from the incessant nonsense. The first was an image of Alice fighting the Jabberwocky, simply for it's loyal portrayal of John Tenniel's drawing and the second was the Mad Hatter slipping into a thick Scottish brogue, reciting the Jabberwocky poem -- prime examples of nods to the originals and a taste of the fine character that lay beneath the surface of Depp's contribution. And finally, there was the futterwacken dance... I fucking loathed this sequence. I mean, it was wholly appalling.

Notable Characters:
You desperately want to like the Mad Hatter and greatly take to Depp's delving into lunacy as the mercury poisoning sets in but it's almost impossible to get passed the ridiculous visual assault that is his appearance. In truth, the highlight of the entire film is Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat. His performance is not only deliciously entertaining, it's phenomenal. I don't think anyone who watches this film would disagree that they would happily watch an entire film centred on this character.

Highlighted Quote:
"You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret, all the best people are"

In A Few Words:
"A devastatingly horrid undertaking with less than positive results"

Total Score:
4/10


Matthew Stogdon