“Alice in Wonderful” (2010) is the second Disney film of that name, this one directed by Tim Burton, who did “Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993). Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter. Unlike the first Alice film by Disney in 1951, which used straight animation, this one uses live actors with computers drawing in the background and even parts of the characters. It also features an older Alice, 19 (played by Mia Wasikowska) who is faced with a Wonderland that has become dark and evil.
I loved the Alice books and I loved “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, so I was looking forward to this film. I thought it could be a masterpiece. Sadly, it is not. While the acting, the sets, the special effects and the costumes were all great the plot was not.
The plot was tired. It is the very same plot you see in Star Wars, the Hobbit and the Wizard of Oz: our hero is an ordinary person who finds himself fighting against some great, terrible evil power. On his way to face said evil power he gathers an odd set of companions and a bit of magic power.
So in place of Chewbacca or the Scarecrow you have the Mad Hatter. In place of the Force or ruby slippers or a ring you have a vorpal sword. In place of Darth Vader and the Death Star you have the Queen of Hearts and the Jabberwocky. Blah blah blah.
A plot like that has plenty of built-in suspense, but I was never in suspense. I blame the writers for that.
So the plot seemed weak and tired and not-again. I felt like I was watching cable television on a large screen. It would make great late-night television. Sorry to say, but it should have gone straight to DVD.
I saw it in 3-D: they give you special glasses for that. That was a waste too – the film did not gain much by being in 3-D. I am glad I did not pay even more to see it at an IMAX theatre.
It is a shame because Tim Burton certainly has the imagination and the right spirit to make a great Alice film. It being Tim Burton I expected a dark Alice but I also expected to be surprised and wowed, like I was with “Nightmare Before Christmas”.
Johnny Depp was good. I particularly liked Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. She was always holding up her hands and had this wide-eyed stare and kept telling us she took a vow not to use violence – even as she let her subjects do their worst to the forces of the Red Queen.
The closing scene was a nice touch – reminding you that the earth itself is a wonderland.
You also get to see a bandersnatch. I do not remember Tenniel ever drawing one for the Alice books. Tweedledee and Tweedledum were played by the same actor, by the way, not by twins.
See also:
Abagond 
Oh. Sorry to hear this. I had high hopes for this movie. Not sure why. I like both Burton and Johnny Depp, but I do believe they got tired of each other. Still, I wanted this to be a good film.
As for the plot… What did you expect? I mean, it’s the same old story, don’t expect it to be original. Or was it the way it’s written unbelievable/ not particularly exciting?
I am glad I did pay even more to see it in an IMAX theatre.
Did you mean: “I am glad I didn’t pay even more”?
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Right. Thanks.
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Mira:
The plot is not from either of the Alice books. This was a completely new Alice story, not one that Lewis Carroll had written. Also Burton is capable of taking something old and familiar, like Christmas, and put a new twist on it.
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Had to stop reading your post halfway through since I plan to go and see this film. Love Johnny Depp and look forward to watching something fairytale-ish (if there is such a word).
Sorry that you didn’t like it, but since I have never read the novel, perhaps I will not be disappointed.
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Interesting. the bunny is cute. I do like tim burton films…the nightmare before xmas was awesome and a masterpiece. Did he do Sweeney todd by any chance? Seems like it would be his type of movie, O abagond, if you watched the oscars what did you think? Did you see monique?
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I’d like to go see it… Did you take your mini-mes with you, or was it them that took YOU along. Lol. I’d luv to go see it, I hope I won’t be dissapointed. I think the Alice they chose looks…not so pretty. She looks crazy… My two cents.
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I have heard this criticism of the movie.
The movie was shot in 2-D so playing it in 3-D doesn’t enhance it in anyway.
I heard that it’s bland and the girl who played Alice is bland.
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I went with my two sons, ages 12 and 14. They did not care for it either.
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i refuse to see this movie because i really like the 1951 version, even though the 1951 version was changed by walt to be lighter and happier because he was afraid that if it went by the book it would scare little children. i love happy stuff, family movies, things of that nature, and alice in wonderland is probably my favorite disney animated classic from the walt era.
but i also don’t care to see the mobie as i am not crazy about tim burton and his weird movies, i rememberi overhearing some guys in my math class last week talk about how this movie is going to suck because tim burton’s work is becoming more and more unoriginal and repetitious with the weird themes and designs and stuff…
lately, there seems to be no movies i would really want to see (i definitely don’t care for avatar, because I am a titanic fan and I don’t like the racial overtones in avatar either), but i still want to see the princess and the frog, i need to know if its good or an insult to finally getting the first black princess.
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I do think Burton is becoming repetitive. And yes, I do think Burton and Depp got a little tired of each other. They should work on separate projects.
Lynette and Abagond: Sorry to hear your children were bored.
As for the princess and the frog… It’s Disney. Well, I must admit I like some of Disney animated movies (I know, I know…) and this one isn’t one of their best- but it’s better than their recent ones. As for the first black princess. What can I say? They tried to do everything at the same time: to make her black, but acceptably black, and to give her a love interest who is not white nor black, and to put her in a setting that can call for a black culture, but it doesn’t. I guess it’s a weird and inaccurate mix altogether (even I can see it), so it can be distracting (it’s way too PC to be honest o authentic- but it’s Disney so it’s not surprising). But is it insulting? I have no idea what you might find insulting, but it’s not obviously insulting like, say, Avatar noble savage. Tiana is not a black woman stereotype, though she is a stereotype of a hard working perfect girl. Unlike many Disney princesses, she has a brain. The love interest, prince Naveen is a jerk (I guess that’s why they didn’t want to make him a black guy). In overall, I don’t think main characters (except for one) are insulting (in a way of ethnic stereotypes), nor it’s the story- but the way everything is mixed together might look weird and is historically inaccurate.
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I loved Alice in Wonderland, and saw in it 3-D, but I must concur that the story line itself could have been much better. I, too, and an ENORMOUS fan of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” and loved “Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” I think that you are right to blame the writers for the few shortcomings in the movie, as their job, I feel, is more pivotal then the director’s: you can have a horrible director tell a great story, but you just can’t do that much when the story sucks. Everything just falls apart at that point.
Anna Hathaway was pretty awesome, and I think I may be the only black panther in love with Johnny Depp, but in my opinion, Helena Bonham Carter stole the show as the Red Queen. She really brought a sense of humanity to the queen’s character. As my friend articulated to me, she wasn’t so evil that you lost touch with her and wondered how she could possibly have gotten like this, but she wasn’t a limp noodle, either. All-in-all, I enjoyed the film without it being perfect, and I think that you’re pretty awesome to have a blog on racial/social phenomena and then create an entry about Alice in Wonderland 😀
xoxo,
Alexandria the Great
aka
~*~ Pretty Star
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I refuse to read this post and some of the comments because I’m scheduled to see it with Friends on Wed. No offense Johnny Depp is playing the Mad Hatter so I’m sold as it is. :p
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I am 62. I saw Alice in WL yesterday with our 4- year- old grandson, and his Dad who is 25. We all liked it, and I especially enjoyed the 3D effects. I assume that I saw the original Walt Disney animated film because it cam out when I was 4 in 1951 and our parents thank goodness took us to movies, walk-ins and drive-ins.
I liked the twist on the story and particularly Alice being shown as a thinking young woman willing to stand up for what she believed in. Johnny Depp added to the movie and I felt that it had enough plot to make a nice story.
On a different subject, I was pleasantly surprised last night on the AA that my favorite move, “The Hurt Locker” beat “”Avata” for the best pix of the year. I am glad that “The Hurt Locker” was not in 3D. :O)
Bob H.
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abagond, you wrote:
“The plot was tired.”
Actually — there is no plot. That is the chief reason it has taken so long for Alice to become a movie.
However, there was a theme. A simple one: Be yourself and do not bow to convention.
For the movie Alice, it meant taking her father’s advice.
Unfortunately, since there was no plot to drive the interest of viewers, the movie was merely a series of lightly entertaining scenes, one dissolving into the next, but heading nowhere.
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@ no_slappz
Right on about the theme, a theme I thought worthy of exploration. And yes, the movie was cute, except for a few monster scene.
I wonder what people thought about “The Hurt Locker?” (to changer the subject if I may?)
Bob
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anyone, how do I change my profile pix at this site? Grandson and I are looking deceptively younger that we really are nowadays, though we are still handsome whatever the years of our pix.
IMHO (In My Humble Opinion)
:O)
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Go here:
http://gravatar.org
There you can upload any image you want. It may take a few hours to take effect.
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Congrats to Abagone on writing something that has nothing to do with race!!!
I expected for you to say something about the “White Queen”.
Oh wait, you did mention the white queen.
Is Anne Hathaway also a racist white person?
That is why she is the white queen right?
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Abagond, honey, I like your blog. It’s intelligent, lively and colourful in many ways.
Now you can call me an insensitive white man (and/or an ignorant European who thinks racism is dead now that Barack and Michelle are in the White House), but don’t you go on a bit too much about race?
Mind you, I am not saying that that keeps racism alive. Unfortunately, racism can survive pretty well without any help from us.
But is race really THAT interesting? Women, men, sex, big bottoms, books, films–now those are fascinating topics.
Keep up the good work,
Gruffalo
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