Before heading out to see the new version of “Alice In Wonderland,” here’s a tip: rewatch the original.
“Why,” do you ask? Well first, because, that’s the “Alice in Wonderland” you are hoping for: light, sweet and kind of eerie. Also, because Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland,” starring Johnny Depp, is nothing more than a glorified sequel to the 1951 classic. Yes, you heard that right. Despite its title, the 2010 “Alice In Wonderland” should really be called “Alice In Wonderland 2.”
And even though that idea sounds downright inspired, what with the huge wealth of Lewis Carroll’s literature Burton and his team could mine, the film is nothing more than a by-the-numbers adventure story populated with all the characters you know and love from the original.
The film starts with young Alice waking up from a nightmare where she remembers falling down a hole, seeing a rabbit in a waist coat and then meeting a blue caterpillar. We flash 13 years later to meet our teenage Alice (Mia Wasikowska) on the way to a very important date. No, not the one you are expecting; this is a very elaborate party with the London elite. Without ruining the surprise, Alice finds herself flustered and winds up following the aforementioned rabbit down a hole and then, well, you know where the story goes from there: Drink Me, Eat Me, etc.
However – that’s where the film deviates from the original. Alice is in Underland (Yes, Underland) for a reason. She is back to help all of the inhabitants defeat the evil Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). So she teams up with the Mad Hatter (Depp), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, March Hare, Tweedle Dee/Tweedle Dum and the rest to complete the task.
Where most people expect magic and whimsy from “Alice in Wonderland” the only place Burton’s film gives us that is with the visuals. The effects and sets are incredibly impressive and, if you see the film in 3D, it’s way more in your face and aggressive than films like “Avatar” and “Up.” Other than that, though, it never feels like much is at stake or that there’s any real excitement to be had.
With or without 3D though, there’s a good chance that kids might be confused by many of the long names of characters, some of the dull moments and trying to figure out exactly how this movie relates to the original. The script does an adequate job of weaving in how Alice doesn’t remember the first film but it still feels forced.
From a filmmaker and stars of such a pedigree, one would expect more from “Alice in Wonderland.” Visually, it’s stunning, but story and character wise, it feels more like a bad version of “Shrek.”
