As Promised.

My review of Tim Burtons latest film, 'Alice in Wonderland.'

I am a massive fan of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland, and a massive fan of Tim Burtons films, so naturally I screamed when I read that Tim Burton would be directing this, and naturally I was fidgety since. When I saw a trailer for the film I was a little let down by the advert, as I would expect some brilliant snippets from the film, but the trailer left me a little empty, like I could see clearly how the film would turn out. And, now I have seen the film, I was right. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in 3D, which was the first mistake; either on my part or the filmmakers. Any film made in 3D should still be a treat for the eyes and ears for those who cannot see it in it's three dimensional glory. There were too many 'tricks' in the film - when 3D first came out, it was obvious when parts had been put into the film simply to show off the new technology- think 'Friday the 13th Part III'. And that happened alot in this film, which was pretty irritating immediately and constantly.
Audience disadvantages aside, I still felt a bit let down by the whole film. I really thought that Tim Burton would have put all he had into 'Alice in Wonderland'- the story was practically made for him, to really showcase what he can do as a director and filmmaker with his definitive dark and edgy style, but he just didn't reach the mark. I understand he was the director for this particular film, and consequentially may have been granted less creative input. Which really is a shame. Why have Tim Burton on board making a film about the story of a little girl who falls underground into another world and meets talking animals and flowers, well-meaning but crackpot friends, dissapearing cats and wise caterpillars, and simply have Mr Burton sit in a corner twiddling his thumbs? Tim Burton had an amazing chance to put his stamp on a film, but he didn't. And as a result, the new, haphazard storyline is confusing and offputting (which is saying alot for a film based on a book all about being lost and confused), and looked unfinished. Even the special effects weren't up to standard. Why use CGI for a man's body? Or leave his head normal but on a special effects body made to look just like a man's body? Maybe the point of excessive CGI was to highlight that Alice is the only normal person in Wonderland, but this would be a long shot and no excuse for what I found to be distractingly bad CGI.
I wasn't even entirely impressed with the casting. Mia Wasikowska, a young, unfamiliar actress, made a very pretty and stubborn Alice, if quite unlikeable at the beginning, but she brilliantly portrayed Alice's change throughout her time in 'Underland'(as it it apparently correctly known). TweedleDee and TweedleDum, played only slightly by Matt Lucas and more by CGI (again) were quite funny, and managed to coax a few singgers in the audience, but simply because they were fat and kept hitting each other. The Mad Hatter was a role perfect for Johnny Depp, but again I fell he did not put his all into the role. However, the very vulnerable and unhinged Mad Hatter was very beautifully played and did elicit pity and concern from me, especially when he occasionally went into dangerous rages.
Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was very good, if a bit predictable and exaggerated. She definitely got into the role of being malicious and pouty very well, but I feel like I've seen it before in a different film.
Seeing as pretty much all of the main characters were either computer generated or a bit boring (Anne Hathaway, I'm looking at you) then there is little else to review on the casting.
Overall I find it hard to recommend this film to anyone. Tim Burton fans will fail to see how exactly he contributed to this film, other than the brilliant Mad Hatter. Fans of the general Alice in Wonderland story will also be dissapointed, as it is not a re-telling of the story, but almost a sequel, loosely trying to combine elements of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass.' The only highlight for fans of the book will be being able to notice little bits here and there that other people viewing the film may not understand, like the poem 'Jabberwocky' as recited by Johnny Depp. And people who go to the see the film simply because they fancy it will probably be left confused. Serves you right, you should either read the book, or watch either the 1951 animated movie or the 1999 made-for-TV movie, both of which stay true to the essence of the book. Which is a hell of alot more than can be said for Tim Burton's attempt. I really wish that my first judgement of the film based on a TV trailer had been proved wrong, and that Tim Burton had produced a beautiful, crazy and dark story.