Alice in Wonderland

I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. I love Tim Burton's darker vision. Johnny Depp is a phenomenal actor and I do enjoy his quirky roles. This movie was cater-made for these two. Here's a brief synopsis: Alice is a young woman who is asked for her hand in marriage. But she thinks that she sees the White Rabbit (something from a dream) and she runs to follow it and falls down the Rabbit Hole. There she is told welcome back and she must defeat the Red Queen. Alice continues to believe that the whole thing is a dream. She meets the Dormouse, the March Hare, and other memorable creatures. She's taken to the Hatter who sends her to the White Queen. Alice needs to defeat the Jabberwocky in order to save Wonderland. So why do I think it fell so flat?

1. I saw this movie in 3D. It was my first 3D movie and it was awful. I felt like my eyes were straining the whole movie. Is that supposed to be popping out or do I just think it is? The whole movie had a shade of grey over it from the glasses. I was just uncomfortable. I probably would be more forgiving to the movie if I had a more pleasurable experience just sitting there.

2. Where is the darkness? Tim Burton: that name brings to mind a certain darkness. For me, especially two movies stand out as pitch-perfect-when-I-think-Tim-Burton examples: Sleepy Hollow and Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. These two embody the literal darkness that Burton brings to his films: the gloomy overcast skies, the eery fog rolling in. They also both use the quintessential Tim Burton blood red. It's not the color of real blood nor is it a corn-syrupy blood, it is a red that can only be described as Tim Burton Red.

Alice in Wonderland is a mysterious, curious story. It is not really a children's tale. The darkness is waiting for you to mold it and you try to turn it into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This movie was trying to be family friendly but not quite suceeding, nor is it an adult take on a memorable story. It was somewhere inbetween and it fell flat.

3. What's up with the Hatter? Alice in Wonderland is my second favorite book (so maybe my expectations were a little high) but I will not cede any point on the Hatter. He is my favorite character and I don't know what the hell happened to him in this movie. Sometimes he's actually mad as a hatter and other times he's just plain pissed off. And when that happens, his eyes change color and he starts talking in a Scottish brogue. Maybe I missed the backstory on the Hatter but I don't know why he does this. I found it distracting.

4. What happened to curious Alice? She dreams about Wonderland every night. This is established at the very beginning, so why when she goes back there does she not remember a thing? Why does she continue to think it's all a dream? Where is the Alice from the story who goes to each new place with a sense of wonder and not with this dreaded fear?

5. Why are amazing actors only used for their voices? Stephen Fry won me over as Gordon Gordon Wyatt on Bones. He is the voice of the Cheshire Cat. I have a full blown crush on the talent of Michael Sheen. His ability to literally become whatever character he's portraying (real or imaginary) is a testiment to his amazing ability. He's the voice of the White Rabbit. Is it weird to say that Alan Rickman has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember? Starting with Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and then Quigly Down Under and Die Hard and Sense and Senseibility, Dogma (these are the order in which I watched them not that they came out... just to clarify). He's the voice of the Blue Caterpillar, Absolem. What a waste of incredible talent. Not that they don't have nice voices but they have even more commanding presences.

6. Where is the backstory? Why are these two Queens fighting? Sisterly rivalry. Why? What happened? You already know my position on the Hatter's backstory. Alice's history is just the same. The random family moments seem forced as does Alice's speech and actions at the end of the movie.

Maybe I expected more from this movie. Helena Bonham Carter seemed to have a lot of fun. I don't know why George McFly Crispin Glover had a CGI body with his real head. That was distracting. Maybe I need to see it again without the 3D. But overall, I was so disappointed. I wasn't filled wonder or amazment. At least I still have the book.