Day 19: Alice in Wonderland.

Day 19: Alice in Wonderland – 3D (2010, Dir. Tim Burton)

After a rather gushing review of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood yesterday today I am turning to his most recent release. This film is an interesting one, and does well for not being just another adaptation of the original story. However the semi-sequel dwells to much on its kooky nature than its ropey narrative.

Burton clearly revels in the visual world he has created here, and indeed there are some stunning landscapes here even if we have seen Burton create them again and again. Special mention has to go to the castle aesthetics which are quite dazzling. These scenes of visual beatuy which really spoiled us in the promotional material for this film arguably set the bar higher than was ever to be reached in the actual film. Whilst the 3D does give depth to some of the landscapes it is completely abused in the action sequences being used for cheap jump moments and scares. Some moments of Burtonesque genius do seep through in both visuals and tone and they can prove to be unique and creepy but many others feel like cheap quirky throw away jokes.

The characters generally are a bit lacking; the Queens are interesting enough but ultimately squandered opportunities whilst Alice is annoyingly dull to watch. Whilst Depp as The Mad Hatter is an appealing character he is also heavily flawed. The problem is that he is either a supporting character who is overused or a main character who isn’t fleshed out enough. Depp plays the character well but it feels like a phoned in mish-mash of his previous collaborations with Burton all awkwardly mixed together.

There are some great vocal performances in the film, notably from Christopher Lee, Alan Rickman and Stephen Fry all giving weight to the film but its simply not enough to sustain this would be fantasy epic.

Essentially I wanted to enjoy this film, I was waiting for something amazing to happen to win me over; instead I was underwhelmed by a bit of a mess. Epic and interesting moments with some visual flair that get lost and washed away under a sea of mediocrity like oysters on the beach.

5/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1014759/

Extra: Is Almost Alice worth listening too?